Chapters

Chapter 2 - Money & Difficulty
Chapter 3-Hope & Sacrific
Chapter 4 - Abuse & Struggle
Chapter 5 - Help & Support
Chapter 6 - Hurt & Forgotten
Chapter 7 - Family & News
Chapter 8 - Recovering & Lodging
Chapter 9- Dreams & Secrets
Chapter 11 - Suppress & Healing
Chapter 12 - Old Tricks & New Problems
Chapter 1 - Start & Help
Chapter 10-Ajustment & Fitting In

Chapter 2 - Money & Difficulty
View Online

Close Friends Stick Together

Chapter 2 - Money & Difficulty

I woke up and saw Sonata playing around next to me. Aria looked away slightly annoyed. I smiled and said,

"Morning."

"Yay, you're awake!", Sonata yelled happily.

"Quiet down, idiot! Are you trying to get us busted?", Aria hissed.

Sonata only smiled as I stretched my arms out.

"We got to head out so I can get some money.", I said looking over to my bag.

Aria looked confused, but didn't say anything. I got up and opened the window. They both followed behind me as I reached the ground. I grabbed Sonata's hand as she reached down and Aria simply jumped down without any warning. We started to walk down into the bustling town. Sonata was walking happily next to me as Aria walked calmly a few feet behind me. As we continued walking, I started to hear Aria's footsteps slowly fade away. I turned around and saw Aria on the ground. Sonata stopped and walked over to her and said,

"Let me help you."

She extended her hand out but Aria slapped it away.

"I don't need help.", She mumbled.

"Aw, don't be a meany butt. Let me help you.", Sonata said with her optimistic voice.

She tried to stand up but her leg gave way and she fell back down with a soft whimper. I walked over to her and said,

"Come on. Don't be difficult. She's only trying to help you.

She mumbled something but I couldn't make it out. I frowned and said,

"Let us help you."

After a few seconds of silence, she reluctantly nodded and Sonata helped her up.

"This doesn't mean anything...", Aria mumbled.

I didn't pay any mind to it and we resumed walking at a slower pace so those two can keep up. After a few minutes of walking, we finally reached town. I scanned around the windows of shops until I saw the sign I was looking for: Help Wanted.

With high spirits, I entered the restaurant. It was an old western styled restaurant with the smell of grease in the air. I saw an employee and approached them.

"Hello, my name is Adagio Dazzle." I bowed. "I saw your sign, is there anything I can do to work?"

The employee took a few steps back and motioned for me to follow. After I instructing them to sit at a table and wait, I followed. The employee, which I learned name was Sweeper by her nametag, lead me to the back of the restaurant to where the sinks are and made a scrubbing motion with her hand. I nodded and bowed once more.

"Thank you, miss." She smiled and left the room leaving me to do my job for the day.

I smiled pitifully to myself. It appeared that she was mute. After about several hours, I decided that it was time to leave since dinnertime was approaching. I let the manager know and he gave me an envelope with cash in it as payment. I saw Sonata coloring with some crayons with the girl I saw earlier smiling over them while Aria simply looked on. She truly was a sweet woman. I walked towards them, the sound of my footsteps alerting them of my presence. They grinned up at me.

"Thank you miss Sweeper for everything. Especially for looking after them,", I said motioning towards them.

When she realized we were about to leave, she stopped us with her hand and jogged to the kitchen and came back with two bags that she gave both of them. They both looked inside to see a box of nuggets, fries, and a cookie. I smiled to myself. I guess I get to eat today. They looked up and smiled gleefully at Sweeper.

"Thank you so much!", Sonata yelled as she gave her a hug and said goodbye.

"...Thanks for the food.", Aria said calmly.

Once we were outside, I ripped open the envelope and smiled sadly at it's contents. It was about twenty dollars. Normally, it would be enough but now... I gazed at them walking ahead of me, bickering about which sauces are better with nuggets. It's been two days at the shelter already, I needed to get more money for our trip to the next town. After all, I have a family to take care of. I jumped up onto the window and opened it. After I crawled inside, I looked around for something that they could climb up. I saw a closet and looked inside it and saw a big blanket. I grabbed it and tied it up next to the bed. After insuring that it would hold I threw the blanket out the window and saw them climb up. After they got inside, we pulled the blanket inside and pulled the blanket back inside. I untied it and threw it back inside the closet. After closing the closet door, I turned around and said,

"I'll be right back."

They both nodded and I slowly climbed down the window. I walked around for a bit to clear my head. I wonder how I was going to be able to help them and keep them safe. I already lost my parents and they could use someone like me to make sure they feel safe. Sonata is too sweet, too innocent to realize the cold, cruel world. Aria, on the other hand, seems too distant, but I can tell she cares about Sonata. She won't admit it of course, but she's strong mentally like me. After what felt like forever, I walked over to the front of the building and walked inside to see the same women from the other day. She was smoking and paid no mind to me. I walked past her and gave her a quick glare before returning to my room. As I opened the door, I didn't see them.

"Aria? Sonata? It's me.", I whispered.

The room was silent. I called out again, but there was still no answer. I went over to the bed and noticed two figures in bed. Upon a closer look, I noticed it was Aria and Sonata sleeping soundly. Was I gone that long? I smiled and crawled into bed without disturbing them. I slowly started to drift off...

Chapter 3-Hope & Sacrific
View Online

Close Friends Stick Together

Chapter 3-Hope & Sacrific

Chapter 3 - Hope & Sacrifice

I woke up to Sonata shaking me.

"What's wrong, Sonata?" I asked worriedly.

She looked on the brink of tears.

"Aria... Aria is..."

I gazed to my other side and saw her. She was panting slightly with beads of sweat rolling down her forehead.

"Oh no.", I mumbled quietly enough, so Sonata couldn't hear me.

I placed the back of my hand against her forehead feeling the heat it was emitting. It felt like she had a fever.

"No, no, no, no, no…”, I repeatedly panicked.

Sonata gave me a solemn look before looking down at Aria. I looked down, ripping a part of my shirt where my belly button would show, and rushed to the bathroom to wet it. When I came back in the room, Aria had her eyes open.

"I'm... fine. I... I can..." she whispered while trying to get up.

Suddenly, she went into a fit of coughs.

"Aria!" We both exclaimed running to her aid.

I gently made her lay back down while Sonata took the wet cloth from me, placing it on her forehead. She instantly went back to sleep. Frowning at her condition, I turned to Sonata.

"Sonata, with the money that I got yesterday, I'm going to try to find some medicine. Stay here and watch her. I'll try to be back as soon as possible."

She nodded towards me as I ran out.

I looked in at least 30 stores and it was all the same. Medicine prices increased, the cheapest bottle being $30 dollars. Knowing there was nothing else I could do, I jogged back to the shelter, but once it was visible, something or rather, someone gripped my arm tugging me back. I was knocked off balance and ended up falling on my but. I looked up and saw an old geezer looking down on me with a predatory smile. He had grayish black hair, dark gray eyes, and wore baggy clothes. I slowly got up and flinched back when he trailed his fingers along my exposed stomach from when I ripped my shirt. As he approached me, I backed up only to run into someone who held me in place by taking my hands and putting them behind my back. I couldn't see who it was but I knew it was a man.

"What is a young thang like you walkin' around at night for?", he whispered in my ear pushing his body into mine, as did the guy behind me.

"None of your damn business! Let me go!" I snarled back.

He chuckled and leaned back a bit.

"So, what do ya say?", he asked pushing on me again.

"Wanna show me and my pal a good time?"

I spat in his face and attempted to kick him only to miss. The spit landed on his cheek, but his reaction was much different from what I expected. He took my saliva off face with his finger and licked it. I cringed.

"Don't worry babe.", he purred.

"I'll pay you good."

The one behind me suddenly put his hand in my shirt, putting a total of $100 dollars in my pocket and took his hand out. Well, not before getting in a quick grope. I felt the man's eagerness pressing harder and harder against my leg. I wanted to run away, scream, anything to get them off me, but after realizing the money that man gave me and I knew Aria needed some medicine, I reluctantly stopped struggling.

"Oh? So you really just needed some money to stop fighting?", The man asked with a grin.

As he put his hands on me, I held back the tears, I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry. I had to do this for Aria, for Sonata, they were depending on me and I couldn't disappoint them. After what felt like an entirely of them grouping and hearing constant snickering, they stopped. Fortunately, it didn't take them very long to do what they wanted as they threw me down on the ground. They walked away into the night as I lay there on the ground crying to myself. I didn't move for several minutes, but I knew I had to get up and push forward to save Aria. I dusted myself off quickly and ran towards the nearest store that was open, fighting my tears in the process. After several minutes of running and holding myself together, I finally saw a store that was open. I took a deep breath and walked inside where it was bright and somehow colder than it was outside. I looked around and from what I saw, she has a bad fever. I didn't want to speak to anyone but not knowing what to get, I had no choice. I swallowed my anger and asked,

"What medicine will help my friend?

The clerk looked down at me and tilted his head.

"What does your friend have?", he asked nicely.

I gritted my teeth. Not because of what he said, but because he looked similar to that man from earlier.

"Ar- My friend has a fever and a bad cough." I replied.

He smiled, which made my stomach sick. He grabbed my hand, but I rejected it angrily and said,

"I don't need your pity."

He looked at me with a confused look but didn't question it as he lead me to a medicine area. He grabbed it and lead me back to the cash register.

"Where are your parents?" he asked worried.

"Back home.", I lied.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He ran the item through the machine and said,

"That will be 40$, please."

I pulled out the 100$ bill that man gave me and handed it to him. He looked at me and was about to ask something but I have him a glare, indicating I wasn't in the mood. He simply took it and handed me the change. He gave me the item and I instantly ran out the door without a second though. I rushed back to the shelter home and bolted through the door without thinking and ran straight into my room. I closed the door behind me and locked it. I opened the bottle and poured the liquid into the cup until it was close to full. I got Aria up and made sure she drank it. After making sure she would be ok, I looked over to Sonata who was fast asleep with a worried look on her face. I went to the bathroom and locked myself in and after I waited a few minutes, making sure nobody could hear me, I cried. I cried so much that I was worried that they would hear me, but I didn't care at this point. This was the first time I've cried in years, and for some reason, it felt good. I had kept my feelings bottled up for so long, I'd forgotten what it feels like to be sad.

After sometime had passed, I stood up and looked into the mirror, but avoided looking at my eyes. I didn't want to see what was staring back at me. I looked to my stomach which was becoming thinner than it was before. I haven't eaten all day since I was out looking for medicine. Not to mention the meals I've skipped giving it to them. Then, I looked to my hands. I shivered in disgust remembering how they touched me. And how I let them. When I looked back at the mirror, I hit it with my fist. As the shards of glass fell to the ground, I picked one up and looked at it. How could I be so weak, so pathetic that I couldn't even defend myself? I put the shard of glass onto my arm and cut myself with it. I looked and saw blood streaming down and dripped into the sink. I'm truly pathetic…

Chapter 4 - Abuse & Struggle
View Online

Close Friends Stick Together

Chapter 4 - Abuse & Struggle

I woke up and realized that I was still in the bathroom. I looked at my arm and while it was a mess, it had healed up for the most part. I washed my hands and unlocked the door. Sonata was awake and right next to Aria, watching over her as she slept silently. I walked over to her and felt her head. Her fever was almost gone and I smiled, running my fingers through her soft hair. I turned my attention over to Sonata and said,

"She'll be fine. She just needs a little more medicine and some rest and she'll be fine."

Sonata put up a small smile and kept looking over Aria. Figuring that it was about time to go, I jumped in the shower for a few minutes and got dressed into my old shirt. I stitched it back up along with with my yoga pants. I left the bathroom and woke Aria up so she could take some medicine again. I told Sonata to stay here this time and she nodded. I exited out the front door and made my way back to the restaurant that I was working at for now. When I walked in, I informed the manager that I was helping out again, but this time I was a waitress. At the end of the day, I received a pay of 15$ and another 15$ in tips. All together, I now had 90$ and I smiled to myself. Maybe with the extra money, I can buy new clothes and a toy for Sonata and Aria. As I was ready to head out, I heard a conversation from a nearby table.

"Dammit! I got kicked out of that damned shelter again."

"You idiot! They saw your knife, didn't they?"

"Well, it's not like I showed it to them! Damn place are doing inspections again..."

At that moment, I felt my heart drop. I sprinted as fast as I could to the shelter, my lungs were on fire, the muscles in my legs burned in agony. Feeling desperate, I did something that I hadn't done in a long time.

"God please... If you truly do exist, if you truly are a merciful God... please, let my family be safe."

When I arrived, I bolted inside the room terrified with what I was seeing. Both of them were on the bed. Aria was in front of Sonata, glaring daggers at the receptionist. Aria looked like she was in worse condition. Her skin was turning a sickly yellow color and her entire face was flushed. Sweat soaked her clothes and she was panting heavily.

"Adagio, why did you bring this trash into my shelter?", the receptionist asked, approaching them.

"Don't touch them.", I warned.

She smirked looking at Aria.

"Move."

Aria smiled mischievously.

"Go to hell, you stupid harlot!", She said with a cough.

She smirk dropped instantly and she growled at them.

"You little shit!", she yelled slapping her, sending her flying across the room.

"Stop!", I screamed, lunging at her.

But my scream fell on deaf ears as she grabbed a fistful of Sonata's hair, making her yelp in pain, and with the other hand, the receptionist clawed at me. Her sharp nails pierced my cut up arm while I had my hand wrapped around her throat. I squeezed harder until she started to make gagging noises and let go of Sonata's hair to try to pry my hands off her neck.

"I will make sure you never hurt my sisters again!", I growled slamming her to the floor.

She slammed into it head first and coughed up a bit of blood. She looked up slightly and glared at me. I quickly picked up both Aria and Sonata off the floor and ran out while I could. The rain was pouring down hard and the air was cold. I ran towards the direction of the subway hoping the weather wouldn't make Aria's condition even worse. After a long period of time, we reached the subway station and payed for our tickets, snacks, and water, which left me with no money. The subway was expensive, which is why I walked everywhere. However, I need to get away quickly... and I can't risk Aria getting worse because of the rain and cold... I stroked their heads as Aria passed out in my lap. I frowned looking at the ugly bruise showing on her face. If I ever saw that woman again, I'll-

"Addy, are you OK?", she asked worried.

"I'm fine.", I replied.

"But, your arm. Your face." She said, with tears about to overflow."

I brought her in and smiled.

"I'm OK. I'm just glad you two are safe." I said holder her closer.

She looked up and with tears still flowing out, she said,

"I'm so sorry."

I raise an eye and was a little stunned about what she said.

"What for?", I asked.

"For getting you in trouble. For being in your way. For everything. I'm just too weak to anything." She replied, bawling her eyes out.

She buried her face into my chest and cried for a few minutes, I didn't say anything. I simply let her cry and waited until she calmed down. After a few minutes of non-stop crying, she finally stopped, sniffling in the process. I pulled her head up and looked directly at her.

"Don't blame yourself. None of this is your fault. I just wish I was stronger and braver so I could help more.", I said with a sympathetic voice.

"B-But you are brave. You saved us from that mean lady, you fed us and went out of your way to keep us safe."

I smiled and held her as we waited for the train to appear. I looked down at Aria and I was happy to have meet these two. Even if the world hates me, these two make me feel a hundred times better. As I was thinking about what to do next, my thoughts were interrupted by the subway arriving. I picked up my bag and held Aria close as Sonata helped walk us into the train. We sat down in a seat far from everyone else. And I felt my eyes slowly closing...

When I opened my eyes again, I looked around and saw a sign saying we were an hour away from our destination. I looked down and gasped seeing blood trickling from Aria. Her nose and her mouth. What the hell is this?

"Aria!", I shouted trying to wake her up.

She didn't respond, but luckily her pulse was still there. She was still alive.

"Aria! Wake up!", I shouted.

Sonata slowly regained consciousness and looked up at me. I was teary eyed looking at Aria suffering. She noticed and held her hand in silence until we arrived at the town. We sprinted out with me holding Aria and screamed for help. A generous person willing to help was our only hope of saving her, we had no money to pay for hospital bills. But everyone looked away. We walked all over town asking for someone to help. No one came to our aid. As the day came to an end, me, Sonata and Aria trudged through an empty street until I fell on my knees from fatigue.

"Dammit..." I whispered under my breath. "Why does nobody care?! Why is the world so heartless? Why am I losing my family again?" I shouted not bothering to hold back my tears.

Suddenly, I felt Aria shift to wipe a tear.

"Adagio. Bad things happen to people, so they know how if feels to be in that situation. So they can help others.", she whispered. "Like you helped us. Promise me, you'll keep Sonata safe. That'll you'll never turn your back on her when she needs you."

And with that, she said no more.

It wasn't until I felt a hand on my shoulder when I saw a woman in the shadows who witnessed her beautiful last words was generous enough to help us. Funny how people don't care until you lose someone... we arrived at a hospital a few minutes and ran inside while I was holding Aria close to me. The doctors took her in and Sonata started to cry again. We sat down in the chairs and Sonata was still crying but lowered her voice so that nobody else heard her.

"It's OK. She's going to be just fine." I whispered to her, trying to calm her down.

She held me close and we waited for a long time before we heard anything. I started to feel my eyes slowly close before fading away...

Chapter 5 - Help & Support
View Online

Close Friends Stick Together

Chapter 5 - Help & Support

I opened my eyes and noticed that Sonata wasn't next to me. I panicked and looked around and she was nowhere in sight. I also noticed that I wasn't in the same room as before. Suddenly, I heard a voice.

"Look honey, look at our beautiful baby girl..."

"Ughh.", I groaned unattractively.

And then I heard someone beside me that I hadn't noticed before.

"Oh good! You're finally awake.", A voice said.

Once my eyes finally adjusted, I looked to my side to see a man in a doctor's outfit. He had dark green hair and had fair skin. He was sitting in a chair next to me with one hand in his lap and the other over mine, giving me a relieved smile.

"Um... " I was stared awkwardly at his hand hoping he'll catch the hint.

Once he noticed, he retracted his hand and nervously scratched his head.

"Um y-yeah. Sorry." he apologized with a slight pink blush adorning his face.

I chose to let what happened slide to prevent anymore awkwardness. And that's when it hit me...

"Where is Son-"

The door opening interrupted my thoughts. At the door stood a girl with light blue hair with two dark blue hair light and it was at that moment I realized it was Sonata. She wore a light purple sweater over a light blue shirt and blue pants. I hardly recognized her as I jumped up and hugged her, seeing that she was in a better state than earlier.

"Sonata!" I exclaimed jumping from the arms and running to my side. She was cleaned up and with new clothes

"Adagio..." she whispered caressing my messed up shirt.

She leaned into my touch. Remembering that there was other people in the room, I shyly looked over at them. They smiled watching our exchange.

"So anyway... where is Aria and... who are you people?" I asked.

"Well, you're currently at the hospital. I'm-"

"That's the nice man who helped me get new clothes and took me to see Aria," Sonata said interrupting him who was now pouting, and pointing to the girl with the the dress.

"And that's Nurse Redheart!" He finished pointing to the other. "They took care of Aria while you were sleeping."

"And you are?" He asked, smiling sweetly.

"Adagio Dazzle." I said. "It's a pleasure. And thank you for taking care of my sisters."

"It's nice to meet you, Adagio!" He exclaimed putting out his hand for me to shake. I flushed.

"There's no need to be so formal," I said quietly, shaking his hand anyway. "I'm only thirteen years old..."

That wasn't the reason I was hesitant to shake his hand. It was because I was still a mess and I rather not get anyone dirty. It took a moment for him to register this new information.

"W-What?" He stuttered standing up and embarrassed at his mistake. "But you have those two… and judging how she acted, I assumed you were..." he trailed off looking at Sonata. My cheeks flushed.

"No it's not like that! I haven't... done that," I partially lied. "I simply took them in and..." I mumbled the last part looking at my hands.

"Oh? Then that would explain..." I looked further down, hiding beneath my bangs.

The Doctor widened his eyes. He seemed to have put two and two together.

"Um, Nurse? Maybe you can take Sonata to get some ice cream while I watch over this one." He said nervously laughing.

Sonata opened her mouth to protest but shut it when she saw me nod to her, letting her know it's OK. She nodded back, but had a sad look on her face as she was taken by the hand and out the door. I sighed.

"Sorry about that.” I said as I merely nodded.

"You were asleep for a while, ya know."

"How long?" I asked silently thanking him for the change of subject.

"Almost a whole day."

"Wow," I laughed slightly. "I must've been really tired."

He gave me a weird look.

"Tired? No, you were sick and deprived from food. When we took a look at you, it was clear to us that you hadn't ate in quite some time."

I looked up at him in confusion.

"Really?" I asked know that it was true.

He nodded and resumed.

“Not only that, but it seems your were physically abused and you suffered a severe wound on your face and arm. Who attacked you?"

Her sharp nails pierced my arm while I had my hand wrapped around her throat. As for my arm, that was my own doing, but I wasn't going to tell him that.

"...I mean you're lucky you got here when you did. We were able to treat you in time. If not, you would've had been in a worse state than your sister or..."

Her skin was turning a sickly color and her entire face was flushed. Sweat soaked her clothes and she was panting heavily.

"... I've seen it before, it's a terrible sight. There was even this one person who bleeding from every orifice..."

I looked down and gasped seeing blood trickling from Aria. Her nose and her mouth.

"... you're lucky your..."

And with that, Aria said no more.

"...still alive."

I slapped a hand to my mouth and choked back a sob. Tears poured out of my eyes and fell uncontrollably.

"Wait why... oh no, did I say something to make you upset?"

When did it happen? When did she get sick? Why did she hide it from us? The woman screeched, shoving Sonata away from her. Her nail nicked the side of the girl's cheek, resulting in a small cut. A small cut.

"That's all it took..." I whispered. "All it took to make her sick."

By this cruel world. Nobody truly cares for the helpless. They’re all just monsters who take advantage of you. I looked up, finally realizing what was happening. He gave me a soft smile and held his arms out and awkwardly engulfed me in a hug in order to comfort me. I clutched onto his coat into my fists and cried my eyes out while he muttered soothing words. Not that I could really hear him. But, eventually I did calm down slightly. My face was sticky with dried up tears, red puffy eyes, and my nose was red and with snot pouring out of it. I looked like a mess. More so then I was earlier. I needed to be strong, for myself and for Sonata and Aria. I moved back a little.

Either by politeness, or just not wanting to get my snot on his coat, he took out a handkerchief and wiped the snot from underneath my nose. I muttered a quick thank you and closed my eyes, still not letting go. And so we sat in a comfortable silence... that is, until he broke it.

"Hey, what... what happened?"

I didn't answer.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to but it might be a good idea to get some things off your chest. I can tell you've been holding all of your pain." he said with a smile.

I didn't know if he was saying that out of kindness or she was going to use me like those two men did. But for some reason, I felt comfortable around him. Not sure what to do next, I asked,

"Can... we go to a different room to talk?"

He nodded and grabbed my hand, this time, I didn't refuse it. We went into a office and as we entered, I asked,

"Could you leave it cracked please?"

He nodded and left it just a crack like I asked. We sat down and he looked like he was prepared to talk to me. He was gonna say something, but not before giving me some juice. Then, he said this,

Chapter 6 - Hurt & Forgotten
View Online

Close Friends Stick Together

Chapter 6 - Hurt & Forgotten

“So Adagio, what was your past life like? Did you have any parents? Relatives? Guardians?”

“No,” I answered.

“Really? Is that it? You don’t have anybody in your life? Nobody you care for at all?”

“I have- no, had them.”

“Ah. Forgive my questioning, but I’m trying to get to the bottom of your dilemma. I can’t help you unless you talk to me. So please. I will listen to your story, whether it be good or bad.”

I was reluctant to continue but I knew it would hurt more if I didn't speak so I opened my mouth and said,

“Alright... Well, when I was little, me and my family were having financial problems. My mother and father would often argue about groceries, tax bills, and they would often figure out who would take care of me. Of course, I knew that they were just trying to get rid of me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“That’s not it though. It get’s better. Next thing you know, my father died. He was shot by some random thug while he was walking home from work.”

“Was there a specific reason as to why he shot him?”

“I don’t know. I just overheard it when my mom was talking to the cop.”

“And what about your mother?”

“She was the only relative that I had left. She worked and cooked for me when she was still alive.”

“Where is she now?”

“She’s also dead.”

“Hmm. Was she also shot?”

“No. It was a drug overdose. She got tired of me and decided to end it, I guess.”

“Why would she want to take her life?”

“I don’t know. All I remember was that she made money as a prostitute and she was constantly harassed by this biker gang that often visited the strip club. After she died, federal agents came to my doorstep and told that the apartment was months behind the rental fee. I wanted to chip in, but I wasn’t allowed due to child labor laws, and I was sent to a foster home.”

“Who were your foster parents?”

“Their names were Austere and Stringent Stern. They were no different from the people that I’ve met on the streets. I was constantly the chore doer and the scapegoat for the children that lived there. Whenever someone did anything, and if I was there, I would normally take the blame for it. If it happened, I normally don’t get much to eat and I was given more chores than the ones that I usually did. One night, it got worse. When I was cleaning the floors, I accidentally knocked Mrs. Stern’s favorite pot, she blew a gasket.

“What did she do?”

“Things that would make the hair on your skin stand straight up. After beating me, she left me in the time out room to “reflect” on my actions. I couldn’t take it anymore, so the day after that, I organized an escape plan.”

“And how did you do that?”, he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well… let’s just say it involved a lot of bed sheets. It tooks me a couple weeks to get them tied together.”, I answered.

“Was there anything else you had to go through? Was there a gate?”

“...let’s just say that I pulled off my escape plan.”

“So after you left both of your foster parents, you were forced to fend for yourself?”

I nodded in silence, and he seemed capable of taking the hint.

“What was the homeless shelter like to you?”

“If had to be honest, it was horrible. Having to wait in line to get food, trying to see what beds are available, and after that, you had to wait for a week or two if you want to sleep there again. Plus, there was this mean lady that I had to go and see at the booth.”

“Can you explain who she is?”

“Her name is Crabby Wooly. And she was the meanest lady that I’ve ever met. Every time we saw eye to eye, she would often spit out her chewing tobacco and ask me for my name. She would sometimes tell me that I couldn’t go in because there were too many people. Other times, she’d let me in. No idea why, but I guess she didn’t wanna lose her job. To be honest, I never liked her.”

“Are you sure? Maybe we could-”

“Don’t. It would only make things worse.”

“I’m sure that we could work this out. I just-”

“She attacked Aria and Sonata.”

“Hmm? What for?”

“She kept claiming that there was not enough for us.”

“Was that it?”

I shook my head.

“No. Not only did she tell us that there was no lodging available, but she also gave Aria a cut on the cheek. It was also what made even more sick. She also called us ‘street rats’, like we were worth nothing to this god-forsaken world. As much as I hate to admit it though, what she said was half-true.”

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“Well… I never did well at school.”

“Go on.”

“Every morning, when I walk up the stairs, I get into fights with the three popular girls.”

“What were their names?”

“Fleur Dis Lee, Suri Polomare, and the worst of them all, was Minxy Link.”

“What would they normally do to you?”

“In the morning, they would talk trash about my family. Lunch time, they’d dump their lunch all over me. And when the school day’s over, they would drag me in the corner and beat me up.”

He had a shocked look on his face as I said that.

“Did you notify anyone of this?” He asked.

I dreadfully shook my head.

“Why would they do this to you?”

I didn’t answer.

“You have been doing a tremendous job opening up about your experiences, but I can’t help you if you keep secrets to yourself.”

“I know. They beat me up because I was the “town tart” from where I lived, at least that was it was to them.”

He looked at me with concerned, but didn't want to offend me, so he didn't ask.

“Can you describe them for me?”

“Well, Fleur Dis Lee has pink-looking hair, Suri Polomare’s is purple, and Minxy’s is white with pink highlights. They all dressed like something you would see in a fashion magazine and were popular girls in school, like the ones you would see in a movie, you know?”

“Yes, I understand.”

“They not only bullied me because of where I’m from, but also because I was more beautiful than them.”

“It is understandable that an inferiority complex will take place in your later life, but reasons that call for physical violence is strictly, and directly, uncalled for.” He said in a serious tone, which made me a little happy. “Did you still attend school?”

“No. I got expelled.”

“What for?”

“I was set up by Minxy.”

“What did she do?”

“She made claims that I was carrying weapons to school. They didn’t believe her at first, but they checked inside my bag and saw a butterfly knife. I tried to tell them that it was all wrong, but they didn’t believe me, and immediately, I was given the boot.”

“Were you angry?”

“I was angry, not just at Minxy, but also at the school district for not looking deep into it.”

“I see. Were your parents angry?”

“A little bit. They were mad because not only was I expelled, but because they didn’t have the funds to get me into another school.”

“So what did you do?”

“They made me get a job.”

“What was it?”

“I had to work delivering newspapers every morning at 6:00.”

“When did your shift usually end?”

“At 10:00.”

“Hmm. And what about the Foster care? Do you think that we should call the police?”

“No.”

He looked a little shocked by my sudden answer.

“Why not?” he asked baffled.

“Because if I did that, I would be no different from her. I don't want to add on more stress to them. Especially Sonata… she's suffered the most out of the three of us.”

“If that’s what you want. You've carry a heavy burden all these years and nobody would help. If I may, can I ask you another question?”

“Sure.”

“Are you sure there is nobody else to take you in? No close friends?”

I shook my head.

“I see. If I can make some calls-”

“Please, no.”

I began to tear up.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Please. No.” I repeated.

“I understand why you’re feeling this way, but-”

“You understand why?! Don't talk like you know me! You know nothing of the cruel and heartless world...”, I cried out.

“Adagio…”

“You don’t know how hard it’s been, surviving out in the streets. Having to eat food thrown on the ground, having to wait until there’s enough room for a homeless shelter, and finding people that you can depend on.”

“Oh Adagio. I had no intention of separating you from your frie-.”

“LIAR! You were just waiting for the moment until I was gone so you could just throw them out like yesterday’s newspaper. Well, I won't let that happen! They're my family and I won’t let you take them away from me! DON’T YOU DARE TAKE THEM FROM ME!!!”

I started to fully break down and this time, I couldn't stop myself.

“Oh, come here.”, he said, leaning in for a hug.

“I don’t want them to be alone…”

“Shhh-shhh-shhh-shhh. I would never do anything to hurt you.”, he comforted.

Chapter 7 - Family & News
View Online

Close Friends Stick Together

Chapter 7 - Family & News

As he held me, the door suddenly barged open, causing up to break apart quickly. It was the nurse and Sonata stood at the door, staring at us. She smiled while on the other hand, Sonata...

"What... are you doing with my sister?" she asked glaring at the him.

He was a bit dumbfounded by her sudden question.

"Listen sweetie, you don't have to worry about..." he explained scratching his head.

She suddenly stomped towards him and pushed him off the chair. He fell backwards hitting the floor head first. she walked over to me and held me tightly as I watching the doctor muttered 'ouch' under his breath and clutching the back of his head.

"Only me and Aria get to snuggle with big sister like this!" she yelled, sticking her tongue at him who growled in response.

I covered her mouth and turned around, trying not to burst out laughing.

"Why you little..." he said standing up and stalking towards us then paused as if he was remembering something.

"Oh, that reminds me. Adagio..." he called out. I stiffened at his serious tone.

"We need to talk outside."

Without another word, I followed him out the room, leaving Sonata to wonder what was going on. But I knew. It was most likely about Aria's condition. Nurse Redheart was right behind him.

“I have to talk to you about your friend.”

“Okay?”

“Well, we had just finished analyzing the sickness. While she is stable for now, she has this disease called Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.”

“What is that?” I asked.

“It’s a type of blood cancer that children develop at an early age. Has your friend eaten?”, she asked.

“She has, but not a lot.”

“Has your friend been sweating a lot?”

“Sometimes. In her sleep, mostly.”

“Has she lost any weight?”

“I don’t know. She always looked thin, I guess.”

“Is she usually tired?”

“Well, she has always been napping.”

“Is she normally scratching?”

“Every fifteen minutes. What’s with all the questions? Are you gonna do something about it, or are we still gonna play trivia night?” I asked annoyed.

“We’re terribly sorry, but if we’re gonna make any progress, I need to know every detail what she’s been doing.”

What she said wasn’t wrong, but what were they doing? All they were doing was asking me questions. When are they gonna fix Aria? It’s bad enough that I have to deal with all the drama and Sonata worrying about the both of us, but if they don’t do something soon, she could be put in a critical state or worse.

“How long is she gonna be here?”

“We don’t know. We need to do more in-depth research and we have to work on finding the medicine for your friend. So we’re gonna be plenty busy with her. Don’t worry, we won’t throw her out. We will save her, but right now, you just have to be patient.”

I nodded as I understood what she meant.

“And right now, we’re gonna have to find a place for you to stay, along with your other friend.”

“Where will that be?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”

I was seated in the lobby room where everybody else was, and where Sonata was waiting for me. As I sat down next to her, she spoke.

“Is Aria going to be OK?”, she asked with worry in her voice.

“She'll be fine. I don’t know long she needs to rest though.” I answered, holding her close.

“I hopes he gets better soon. So, where’re we gonna be staying?”

“Dunno yet. The doctors are just figuring that out.”

“Hmm. I wonder if they have anything good to eat?”, she said, with her mind wandering off.

“No idea. Wanna go ask?”, I asked, having nothing better to do.

“Sure.”, she said, enthusiastically.

I got up from my seat and went to look for a vending machine. As I was scavenging for it, I began thinking about a lot about my life and what I did doing it. I thought about the many fights that I got into, the people that I’ve met during my time at the homeless shelter and on the streets, and the family that I never would’ve thought I’d start. And on my own, no less. I’ve always thought that I was gonna live my life alone and die with nothing. But ever since those two popped out of nowhere, asking me if I had anything to eat, my life began to light up a bit. Even though things haven't exactly been all sunshine and rainbows. Still, I’m glad to have met them. When we leave, we’re gonna find a way to make some money and buy a nice house for ourselves. First, we’re gonna have to find a way to get into school, even though that’s the last thing that I wanna go through.

“Addy?” asked Sonata.

“Yeah?” I answered.

“When we grow up, do you think that we’ll become singers?”

“Hmm?” I raised an eyebrow as she asked that.

“You know? On stage, in front of everybody?”

“Oh sure. That would be nice. What brought that up?”

“I dunno. It came to me just now.”

“I think that we would do great as singers. We just need to practice.”

“Okay, but can we let Aria join us?”

“The more the merrier.”

“Yippee!”

Sonata is always so cheerful, even through all the hard times that we are going through right now. I need to do everything in my power to make sure that she’s safe. Same goes for Aria. If the doctors ever think about kicking her out, I will make sure she gets all the medicine she needs. As I finally found a vending machine, I used the last four quarters that I had and got a candy bar for Sonata and me to share. As we sat down and we were about to take a bite of our dinner, Sonata stopped me and asked,

“What about Aria? Wouldn’t she like some of this?”

“Hmm. We could give some to her. I just hope it doesn’t melt.”

“Great. Let’s give some to her right now.”

We got up from our seats and we went to the front desk. I asked,

“Can we give this to our friend? It’s dinner.”

“Sure dearie. You just need to be quiet. She’s resting.”, she answered as she proceeded to take a call.

We walked toward the door and we went through the hallway. The thought of being a singer kept going through my head when Sonata mentioned it. It would be a great way to earn money. We could buy anything we want. We could buy a car, a house, and we could even buy all the food and medicine we want and need. I could also use it to help the children off the streets. All we need to do is practice first. When we made it to Sonata’s room, she was fast asleep. We made sure to be as quiet as possible so we didn’t disturb her.

“Aww, she looks so peaceful.”, Sonata said.

“She looks like she could be a princess.”, I replied as I looked at her sleeping.

“Wanna give her the dinner?”

“What else is there?”

“Hi Aria. We’re gonna give you our dinner? Would you like some?”

I smiled as she said that. I said,

“How have you been? Me and Sonata have been talking about you. We were thinking about becoming singers. It would be great if you could join us. We can’t do this alone. What do you say?”

Aria was still asleep and Sonata’s mouth dropped as soon as I said that.

“You wanna think about it? Fine with me, but when you have made your decision, let us know. If you don’t wanna join us, we won’t hold it against you. You could be our roadie or something.”

“What’s a roadie?”, Sonata asked.

“It’s something that helps with the stage decorations and helps bands.”

“Ah. I hope you wake up soon, Aria. Me and Addy miss you. We’ll come and visit tomorrow, okay?”

As Sonata left the room, I stood behind and said to Aria,

“She’s still happy that you’re with us. I hope you get well soon. We could really need your help if we’re gonna make this through. I’ll see you tomorrow Aria. Sweet dreams.”

I gave her a kiss on the forehead before I left the room. Sonata was still outside as I left the room. There was a doctor waiting beside her as well.

“Adagio, we’ve found a place for you and your friend to stay.”

“Okay. What’s the place?”

“Well, we made some calls and they denied you any entry. However, we made one last call and there’s this orphanage that takes in any child that have problems. They are more than willing to take you and your friend.”

“What about Aria?”

“She said that she could pull a few strings and bring her in with you. But the rules are pretty strong, so be on your best behavior.”

“We will.”

As the doctor left, we went back into the room once more to check on Aria. She was still asleep and had a thin smile.

“Yep, definitely a princess.”, I whispered to Sonata.

As we were about to leave, I heard a mumble. I turned around and saw Aria’s eyes slowly open.

“I'm not a princess.” she said coldly.

I immediately heard a voice that began to fill me with relief and joy. Sonata then ran to Aria’s bed, saying,

“Oh thank goodness you’re alright! You had me and Addy so worried…”

She kept hugging her like she was this brand new teddy bear that she just won at the carnival. She had never felt more happier to see Aria wake up. I was happy as well, seeing that she was one of the closest family that I now have.

“Did you sleep well?”, I asked, playfully.

“Oh shut up. I barely slept enough.”, she answered with a frown.

I was also pleased that her sense of humor was still with her. Still, I was glad enough to know that she was still alive. Soon, the doctor came and said,

“Well, we have good news.”

“Really? Tell us!”, Sonata shouted with joy.

“We did a little research and we found something for your sister’s treatment.”

“What is it? Tell us.”, I said, getting impatient.

“We’re gonna use a treatment called CHOP.”

“Huh? What is that?”, Aria asked.

“It’s a type of chemotherapy that can make your illness go away. However, you will need to stay in your quarters until treatment can begin.”

“How long will it take?”

“It’ll most likely take a month and a half. Either that, or two month’s time. Are you fine with that?”

“Hey, fine by me. Anything to make this all go away.”

“Aww, but Ari-”, Sonata whimpered.

“I’ll be alright. Besides, you have Adagio, so you’ll be okay.”

“Yeah, but then we’ll never see you.”

“You will. Just not right now.”

I grabbed Sonata’s hand when she looked like she was about to cry. I said to her,

“Hey… it’ll be alright. We just need to be patient for a little longer.”

“But I don’t wanna be patient. I wanna be with Aria.”

“You will.”, the doctor said.

“What do you mean?”, I asked.

“From time to time, you will be allowed to visit her. But for right now, she needs to recuperate, as she has been through quite an ordeal, living on the streets.”

“Don't be a baby, Sonata. Adagio will be with you. Right?”, Aria said, raising an eyebrow and then added, “Besides, I've been through worse.”

Agreeing with Aria, I said to Sonata,

“C’mon. Did I ever steer you wrong?”

“Well, you did share your candy bar…”

“See? You’re in good hands.”

Sonata gave us a slight smile, but she was still sad that she wasn’t gonna see Aria.

“I would never trade you for the world. Do you trust me?”, I asked.

“Well, I…”

“Do you trust me?”, I repeated.

As she thought to herself for a minute, she answered,

“Yes…”

I smiled as she said that. She let go of Aria and the doctor then said,

“Since this is now settled, I have already arranged a transport for you and your sister. It’s in the front of the hospital.”

I nodded to him as he said that. I then left the room, holding Sonata’s hand as we left the hospital.

Chapter 8 - Recovering & Lodging
View Online

Close Friends Stick Together

Chapter 8 - Recovering & Lodging

When me and Sonata hopped into a car, I began to think about what Aria’s gonna do now that she’s gonna be cooped up in that hospital for a while. She could probably blow a gasket at how slow the doctors are. Either that, or she would constantly beg to get out. Still, it’s gonna be sad to know that we won’t be seeing her much. And I know how much Sonata is hurting on the inside. I’m gonna have to do whatever I can to protect her from the outside world. She just seems so innocent. She shouldn’t have have to deal with this drama. She looked at me and asked,

“Hey Addy?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you wanna play ‘I spy’?”

“Sure. Can’t say I’ve ever play the game, though.”

“It’s real easy. All you have to say is “I spy, with my little eye”, and then you have to say a certain thing and you have to spot it. I love it!”, she said, cheerfully.

After playing with her for a little bit, I grew a little tired and asked her if she wanted to take a break. She said yeah, surprisingly. I wanted to talk to her for a bit, so I asked,

“So, how did you and Aria meet?”

“Well, from what she told me, about a billion times now…” She pondered in thought for a few minutes. After some time had passed, she spoke. “We met when I was walking by myself on the sidewalk at night. There were some strangers that I bumped into. I asked them if they had anything to eat. But, for some reason, they gave me these weird looks and they told me that they don’t have anything for me to eat, but they said can show me how to have a good time. They grabbed my hand and they started to drag me. I bit one of their hands off and I ran as fast as I could, but they seemed much more faster. I thought that I was dead meat for sure. At least, until I ran into Aria. I begged her to help, along with promising that I would do as she told me, and that I would behave with all my heart. She thought about it for a few minutes, then when those strangers finally caught me, she put me behind her back and she protected me. Nobody, besides my parents, has ever done that for me before.”

“Oh my… I never you were so tough.”, I said, with my mouth dropping.

“Yeah… I guess I am.”, she said, giving a big grin.

I gave her hug out of random. I said to her,

“I’m so sorry.”

“Huh? For what?”

“What you had to go through. You're just a child, and you having to suffer through all this… it’s so unbearable. You don’t deserve this. I’m gonna do what I can to help you through all of this. And no matter what happens… I’m glad to have met you.”

Sonata then burst out laughing for some odd reason.

“What’s so funny?” I asked a little shocked.

“Addy, nobody had to twist your own arm to get you to protect me and Aria. You did it yourself. You stayed with us ever since the day we begged you for something to eat. We know that you will protect us. No matter what.”

I looked out the window of the car and I began to see an orchard. Sonata then tapped me on the shoulder and said,

“I’m glad to have met you too.”

I gave her a nice smile when she said that. Even after all that we’ve been through, we had still stuck close to each other as a family. Maybe it's because she's still too young to understand or it’s because of her parents. I don’t care either way. She’s my sister and we’re gonna make this through. Up ahead, we saw this huge house. It looked like something you would see out of a museum or something like that. It looked so ancient. Just then, the driver said,

“We’re here.”

I continued to look at the building as we drove up to it. It was like something you would see in a storybook. It was so rustic and incredibly outdated. I saw multiple kids outside playing and talking to each other. Then, they saw the car pull in. The same one that I was in. The driver then said,

“Here’s our stop.”

We opened the doors as we got out and we saw these a man with two other people behind him. At least, that’s what I saw anyways. The man approached us and said,

“Welcome. We hope you enjoyed your ride to the shelter. You two remember Bolt and Redheart don't you?”

I was surprised to see them here. But then where's…? No, please don't tell me…

“What are you doing here?” I asked dumbfounded and followed up with, “And what about Aria?”

“She's fine. We're just checking up on you and since we had a few moment to spare, we thought it be best to give you a tour of the place.” Bolt said calmly.

I wanted to question him more, but before I could, I was interrupted by Red heart.

“Well, we hope that you can enjoy yourselves here. There are plenty of activities for you two here. Follow us.”

And so we did. We were shown different parts of this place. Our dorms, mess hall, tv room, bathrooms, and they even showed us the laundry room. Hell, there was even a gym here. This place was so huge that I thought I needed to draw a map in order to remember where I last was. Still, since Sonata was with me, it wasn’t so bad being lost. We eventually made it back to the hall room. The man said,

“So, what do you think? Any ideas to improve your stay?”

“Well… we would like to speak to Bolt and Redheart. Can we have some privacy?”

“By all means.”, he answered.

He left the hallway long enough for us to start talking to Bolt and Redheart. I said,

“How’s Aria?”

“Well, we have some good news and some bad news.”

“What’s the bad news?”

“Well, the bad news is that she has to undergo chemotherapy for a couple months if she wants to make a full recover.”

I sighed as he said that.

“The good news?”

“She will be able to to live here. Her condition has stabilized, so she’ll be alright. However, she needs to be kept under complete supervision, and should anything happen to her, we will be able to get her back to the hospital.”

“When will she be back?”

“Hopefully tomorrow afternoon. If she doesn’t have any more tests to go through.”

“What kind of tests?” Sonata asked.

“Think of them as a practice route when you’re training for a type of sport?”

“What’s that?”

Redheart looked stupefied when Sonata said that.

“You’ll understand when you enter school.” I told her.

“Anyway, that’s all we have for you right now- oh! I almost forgot. If Aria starts getting unstable, give her this.” he said when he handed me this pillbox.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“It’s the medicine she needs if she starts feeling funny. Whenever something bad’s gonna happen to her, I want her to swallow this.”

“What will it do?”

“It’s gonna put her in a state of suspended unconsciousness. It will put her to sleep, but it will calm her down.

“What?!” Sonata yelled suddenly.

“It’s not gonna hurt her. It’s just gonna settle her down.”, Bolt assured.

“Where is she now?” I asked.

“She’s still back in her room. Right now, she’s asleep. She can’t be bothered right now.” he replied.

“I see. I hope she’s doing well.” I wondered.

Sonata still had a worried look on her face.

“Oh Sonata. Nothing bad’s gonna happen to her. No matter what happens, I will keep a close eye.”

What I said seemed to have calmed Sonata down, but she was still afraid for Aria. I needed to do everything I can to keep her happy, but with Aria’s condition, it’s just hard to keep her in line. Later, it was dinner time. We were at the mess hall, waiting in line to get our food. Everything was going well at first, until I heard Minxy’s voice.

“Hey there, Addy.” she said casually like we were friends.

I ignored her.

“So, how’ve you been? I haven’t seen you since your… well, we’re already aware of what happened.” she said with a smirk.

“Huh?”, Sonata wondered.

“Oh, and since when do you babysit? Or did you get kno-”

“Sonata, let’s go.” I said before she could finish her sentence.

The line was moving up a little, witch was fine by me. We kept going until the lunch lady gave us our dinner. I took Sonata with me to sit at a different place, but for some reason, Minxy didn’t follow. Instead, she just looked at me like I was just some puppy, whimpering and crying to be kept as a pet. I hated that look, and I wanted nothing more than to punch Minxy’s nose in until her mother couldn’t recognize her, but how could I? If I gave in to her level, I’d be no different from the monsters I’ve met on the streets. And I had Sonata to look out for. I’d be setting a bad example if I just attacked her. Then, Sonata asked,

“Who was that Addy?”

“Just someone I don’t wanna see.”

“Why?” she asked confused.

“It’s just… it’s just not that easy to think about.”

“Huh?”

“You’ll understand when you’re older.”

“Okay…”, she said as she ate her food.

We went straight to our temporary room to eat as to avoid any more problems. As we ate, I decided to change the subject.

“Have you gotten a call from Aria?” I asked, changing the subject.

She shook her head and said,

“Nope. Did you?”

“Neither did I. I wonder how she’s doing?”

“Dunno. Maybe we could call before…”

“Lights-out.”, I said, helping her.

“Yeah. Do you wanna try?”

“Count me in.”

After finishing dinner, we got in line in front of everybody to get a phone-call. After waiting 25 minutes, we were finally next. Having to listen to all the gossip just made me cringe to the point that I was close to going on a killing spree. When it was our turn to call, it was actually an old payphone. We didn’t have any quarters, so we were out of luck. I was this close to losing my temper. Luckily, someone gave us some quarters, and we called Aria's room. The phone rang and rang and rang but no response. I grew worried as Sonata looked at me. I hung up the phone and said,

“She's probably asleep.”

“But Addy-”

“Bolt and Redheart said she was fine. Besides, Aria wouldn't want you being a crybaby when she sees you now would she?” I asked, stopping her mid-sentence.

She shook her head and sniffed.

“She would want you to be happy when we see her.”

She nodded reluctantly but didn't say anything back. As she finished her food, I grabbed her plate and placed it near the bedside. As I was about to turned off the light, she stopped me.

“You'll stay next to me, right?”

I shook my head and remembered what Aria said before we left. She wasn't wrong but I knew she had a point.

“You've got to learn to independent someday. We won't-” I stopped myself mid sentence realizing what I was about to say.

“You won't?” she repeated.

“Look, I understand that Aria’s not with us, but you have to learn how to survive without her. I’m not saying that we can’t see each other anymore, but you have to learn how to be strong and not take anything from those monsters out in the world. Do you understand?”

She gave me sad, disappointed look on her face, and then she said,

“I understand.”

“Oh Sonata…”

“Let’s just go to sleep.”, she said getting ready for bed.

I felt terrible for telling Sonata that one day she would have to fend for herself, but why? I didn’t want to hurt her, but she’s not gonna be a kid forever. Sometimes, being a grownup isn’t fun at all. After we walked back to our dorms, we got on our pajamas, brushed our teeth, and went into bed. Before I went to sleep, I said to Sonata,

“Goodnight Sonata.”

“Goodnight… Addy.”, she replied in a sad voice.

Hearing her say that just made me feel worse than I already was. I really hope that I can make it up to Sonata, but with the way things are now that Aria’s in the hospital, it’s just really hard to figure out. I have to say that the bed felt decent and the sheets feel nice. I began to doze off and fall asleep.

Chapter 9- Dreams & Secrets
View Online

Close Friends Stick Together

Chapter 9- Dreams & Secrets

I woke up and felt something shivering beside me. I looked over only to realize it was Sonata. At first, I thought she was simply cold, but then I heard her mumbling.

“Sonata, what’s wrong?”

She didn’t answer. For some odd reason, she looked like she was talking to someone.

“Sonata, wake up.”, I whispered.

She still wouldn’t wake up.

“Sonata, please.”

I kept nudging her, but she would not wake up. Dammit! If only Aria was with me, it would be a little more easier. Still, I wouldn’t give up. I kept pushing her to wake up, to no avail. I kept pushing and pushing. Suddenly, she jumped out like a jack-in-a-box. Then, I said to her,

“Are you okay? You’ve been moving around and talking in your sleep.”

She looked at me with that same, sad look in her eyes.

“Listen. I shouldn’t have said-”

“No. It’s not you.” she said, stopping me mid sentence.

“Huh? What’re you talking about?” I asked surprised.

“I had this dream.”

“A dream?”

She nodded.

“Tell me about your dream. What happened?”

“Well, when I was asleep, I suddenly woke up, and I was in the same room as you, only you weren’t there.”

“What do you mean?”

“I walked around looking for you. I checked everywhere, seeing if you were trying to play with me. I was hoping to find and scare you.”

“Why?”

I was surprised at what she just said. I was here, trying to wake her up, and she was trying to scare me… I continued to listen to the rest of her story.

“I kept looking for you, but you weren’t anywhere. All of a sudden, I heard voices.”

“What voices?”

“I didn’t know. I followed where the noise was coming from. I walked around and I started to see these shadows?”

“Shadows?”

What she said wasn’t making any sense. If she really was having a dream, she would’ve woken up already. Something’s wrong. She kept telling me,

“When I followed the shadows, they suddenly disappeared.”

“Where did they go?”

“I don’t know. I looked around, but then I saw something glowing.”

“What was it?”

“Well, I followed the light, and there was this door behind it. I thought they were lightbulbs at first, but they were red for some reason.”

“Red?”

“I opened the door, and then I saw these jewels on the ground.”

“What jewels?”

“They were RED jewels.”

“I know Sonata. I’m just trying to make sense of what you’re telling me.”

She sighed annoyingly, and she continued.

“I was so amazed by their shiny looks, so much that I wanted to touch them.”

“Well, did you?”

“I bent down and I grabbed them, then suddenly, these monsters came out of the jewels.”

“Monsters?”

She nodded her head.

“What did they look like? How many were there?”

“Well… there were three of them.”

“Three?”

“That’s all I saw.”

“What did they look like?”, I asked.

“I don’t know. They just disappeared all of a sudden. Then I woke up because “somebody” kept pushing me.”, she answered.

“I was worried. I thought you were-”

“I wasn’t! But it sure felt like it.”

“What do you-”

Suddenly, I remembered what I told her.

“You're not just saying that to snuggle with me, are you?” I asked sarcastically.

“I WASN’T TRYING TO SNUGGLE WITH YOU!!!” she yelled, offended.

I was taken back by her sudden outburst.

“I'm telling you the truth.” she said, lowering her voice.

“Sonata, I wasn’t trying to make fun of you. I’m just trying to figure out your problem.”

“My problem is that you’re trying to push me away.”

“Wha-? I’m not trying to push you away.”

“Oh yeah? When I was little, my parents did the exact same thing. They wouldn’t let me sleep next to them because they thought that I would take up most of the bed.”

“What?”, I said, shocked.

“One time, when me and Aria were sleep in a dumpster, she wouldn’t let me snuggle next to her because I was too clingy.

“Oh, Sonata…”

“That’s not all... I was never allowed to be too close to Aria or anybody else. Whenever I was holding onto to someone, I was often pushed back. My parents wouldn’t even hold my hand…”

She was beginning to tear up in front of me. I said nothing as she was struggling to speak.

“Ever since the day that I met you, you would let me stay close to you. When you held my hand, when you hugged me, I’ve felt something that I’d never felt before.”

I was taken back by what she told me. She was always so cheerful to me and Aria. There was rarely ever a sad look on her face, at least not until what happened to Aria. But what I’m seeing right now… I have no words to describe what Sonata’s going through. She then covered her face, so that I wouldn’t see her cry. I said to her,

“Sonata, what I said to you earlier today...”

She didn’t look at me as she was too ashamed. I resumed as she hid herself from me.

“I wasn’t trying to be mean to you. I was trying to help you become stronger. I wasn’t trying to push you away. All I wanted from you, was to be independent. But seeing you now… I shouldn’t have put you through what I just said and for that, I’m sorry.”

I began to tear up as well. I grabbed her face gently and moved her hands from her face as she look at me.

“Please. Don't cry.”

Making her look at me just made her more sad, and she finally began to cry. I began to cry with her as well, holding her in my embrace.

“I should’ve been more stronger for Aria. If I had…”

“Shhh-shh. You have nothing to be ashamed of, Sonata. None of this is your fault so please, don't shoulder any of the pain.” I said, in a whimpering voice.

“I’m always the burden of everybody else. If I had just disa-”

“No, no, no, no, no. You're not a burden to me, or Aria.”

We kept crying for several minutes. I pushed her to far. I should've been more considerate of her feelings. After a little while longer, the sobbing had subsided, with her face stained in tears.

“You feel better?”, I asked with a faint smile.

She nodded and looked back up at me.

“I think we should get back in bed.”, I said.

Agreeing with me, she got up and went back into her bed. Seeing how sad she was, I decided to snuggle with her, at least until she fell asleep, I think? Before she fell asleep, I said to her,

“If there’s anything you wanna talk to me about, just let me know. I’ll always be here to listen to your problems no matter how small.”

“Okay. I’m sorry that I’ve been a-”

I put my finger on her lips and I said,

“Don’t ever say that. Don’t even think that. Everything that we’ve been through as a family. You’ve never been a burden to me. Not even Aria would see you as the least bit useless.”

She smiled that beautiful smile that she had always given me. Afterwards, she dozed off. Not caring about our past problems, or anything else. When Aria comes back, she will feel even better than she ever has been. Still, I couldn't shake the fact that tomorrow would be another challenge. Even so, with Sonata, and when Aria comes back, we will be stronger than we ever were before. I was going to get up, but she held me close and her grip was pretty strong for someone as small as her. Besides, I couldn't leave her with a smile like that. I kissed her on the forehead and started to fall asleep.

Chapter 11 - Suppress & Healing
View Online

Close Friends Stick Together

Chapter 11 - Suppress & Healing

In the morning, I woke up and took the bulky bandages off. It would stand out underneath the blazer of my uniform and it stopped bleeding, so it would be fine as long as I don't scratch it or anything. Sonata was still asleep, so I got myself undressed quickly ready to put on my uniform. That is, until I heard the door creak open.

"Hey Adagio, I'm about to leave. So if you want I could take..." Aria started saying until she noticed my lack of clothing.

We both blushed crimson red and she slammed the door shut. I got dressed quickly and slowly opened the door to see her leaning against the wall with her uniform on. Her face was still crimson red and she was pinching the bridge of her nose, oblivious to my presence. I cleared my throat to get her attention. She shot up and looked towards me,

"So...Uh... anyway... Would you like me to take Sonata? I'm about to leave soon." She said so quickly that I could barely comprehend what she was saying, and of course avoiding my gaze the entire time.

"I would appreciate it, but she still has to get dressed and eat." I replied casually.

"R-Right. It's no problem, I'll take care of her." she stammered.

If she continues to act that way, especially once school really starts, It's going to be one heck of a ride... I thanked her and was about to head to the bathroom to continue getting ready, until she stopped me.

"By the way," she whispered seriously. "What are those scars on your wrist?"

"I... They're..." I trailed off, not knowing what to say.

She probably thought something was wrong. I looked down, hiding behind my hair and covering the scars with my hand. They were ugly marks. Tears pooled in my eyes, threatening to spill out.

"I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get too personal.", she said frowning at my reaction. "I just wanted to know who hurt you is all, so I could maybe figure out how I can deal with them. I knew you had one on your arm, but I didn't know if you accidently hurt yourself or..."

She growled as she said that, most likely from what happen at the foster home. Realizing that's what she thought it was, I nearly cried tears of joy.

"It was the women from the foster home, or rather, hellhole as I would put it. She did have sharp nails after all," I said under my breath, hoping it would give off the impression that I was sad and didn't want to talk about it.

She looked at me with a concerned look and asked,

"You're lying to me, aren't you?" She didn't take the bait. That might have worked with Sonata, but Aria is much sharper than that. "Who's the kid that hurt you? I'll deal with them."

She suddenly turned towards me and smiled.

"I took enough of your time. If I don't hurry, I'll be late." I said, waving her off and went into the room before she could question me further.

I smiled sadly to myself. If only she knew, the demon who inflict such wounds on me, is myself. I went to the bathroom and continued to get myself ready. Brushed my teeth and hair, used the bathroom, et cetera. Once I was ready, I headed out the front door to see Aria waiting for me there. I blinked at her. * * *

We fell into a comfortable silence and walked side by side until we reached a park.

"Hey, want some ice cream?" I asked pointing to a stand.

I began pulling her to it, without waiting for a response.

"Don't you think it's getting too cold for ice cream?" She asked.

The leaves of plants were already tinged with brown and red and the air seemed to already bite at your skin. She stopped at the stand, then looked towards me.

"You’re kidding, right? There's never a wrong time for ice cream. Anyway, what flavor do you want?" She eventually gave in.

"* * *."

After we got our ice cream, we sat on a bench, looking at the sun setting in the sky.

"Hey Adagio, wanna play 20 questions?" She suddenly asked. "I mean, we don't know much about each other so I thought... "

I smiled and responded,

"Sure, I'll play."

"Alright, I'll go first then. Where do you come from?" She asked.

* * *

After reassuring her that I was just kidding and she believed me, I urged her to ask her next question.

* * *

In an attempt to comfort me, she placed her hand over mine, to which she interlocked and gave me a bitter but sweet smile.

"What do you regret the most?", she asked looking at me.

I averted my eyes in thought.

"It's hard to say. There's too many to count." I responded honestly.

"Well, what's the most recent thing then?"

She started to rub small circles with her thumb onto my hand. I couldn't hold back the blissful sigh that escaped my lips. Fortunately, she didn't seem to notice. I wanted to choose my words carefully as to not make her dig further into my dilemma.

"Sometimes... “ I paused for a minute, realizing that it would be difficult to tell her directly but keeping it vague so she wouldn't question it. After a full minute of silence had passed, I continued. “I regret * * *" I answered.

The motion of fingers against my skin stopped and she got up.

* * * she started to walk quickly in the direction of the dorm, ignoring my pleas for her to wait. With a quick sprint, I managed to catch up with her and grab her arm, making her stop abruptly and glare at me.

"I didn't... mean it like that!" I exclaimed in between breaths. "I'm grateful for everything you, Sonata, and * * *. A home, clothes, food, and more. I'm really happy that I met you two, trust me. It's just... maybe if I went to another town... then maybe someone would've-"

"Adagio, I get it." She interrupted.

I breathed out a sigh in relief. Sonata and Aria were truly the only fri- no, sisters that I've ever had. I would've hated myself if I lost her to an misunderstanding as trivial as this.

"Listen... I'm sorry, my temper tends to get the best of me sometimes." She apologized, looking away in shamefully.

"Don't worry about it." I said extending my hand to her. "Let's just forget about it and go home, okay?"

She took my hand and smiled at the offer, and we started to walk back.

* * *

We were all lined up side by side in front of * * *. This assignment was supposed to be training for the * * * exam since I didn't do it with the rest of the class. In other words, I was behind everyone else right now.

"Alright class, for this assignment, * * *. Though it is a easy task, it requires complete corporation from you and your teammates, so work together. You will be spilt into teams, so listen up. Team one will have * * *. Team two will have * * *. Team three will have * * * The first team to complete the task will have the exclusive right to pass." The teacher explained.

"Now that snooze fest over here explained all the boring stuff..." Aria said teasingly. "You make pick a flag color if you don't already have one."

Me and * * * were the only ones to step forward and our flag.

"And with that... You may begin!"

* * *

Chapter 12 - Old Tricks & New Problems
View Online

Close Friends Stick Together

Chapter 12 - Old Tricks & New Problems

Minxy and the rest of our team ran inside the building, with her friends trailing behind, and went to the left door.

"I can't believe I'm stuck with the whore...," Minxy muttered under her breath.

I ignored her and continued forth. Walking further in, we took in our surroundings. The cabin was dark and gloomy with the smell of rust in the air. The furniture seemed ancient and dusty. The floorboards creaked under our feet, other than that, it was quiet.

Too quiet.

"AHHHH!" a toe curling scream ripped through the silence followed by rapid crunches of decaying wood breaking. Alarmed, we turned around to find a hole in the floor.

And one of the girls was gone.

"Damn it!" The other two yelled. Then * * * "You better find her." Minxy demanded.

I simply nodded in response and started * * *

"Don't just stand there! Help me out!" Suri yelled, focusing back on the rocks ahead.

And with that, * * *. I smiled and ran the other way.

"What are you doing!", she yelled.

But I ignored her words as my main concern was getting away from them. My heart was racing. My sweaty hands making it difficult to concentrate. I ran into a dead-end. Crap. I turn around and saw Minxy, Suri and Fleur in front of me.

Looking into each of their eyes, I saw the anger that it contained. Staggering back with my left hand over my mouth, I fell on the ground, surrounded by them. The same people that took everything from me.

"You're nothing but a * * *."

"Stop it," I pleaded. They drew closer around me.

"You * * *." Minxy added.

"Shut up..." I whispered covering my ears with my hands. They started to lunge at me.

"* * *” Fleur said ***.

"I said shut up!" I yelled.

Tears pooled in my eyes and I clenched them tight, waiting for the torture to end

"Adagio!", a voiced yelled above me.

I opened my eyes to see Sonata hovering over me. I blinked as a drop of blood trailed down my cheek. She was bleeding * * *

"Get up and run!", she said through clenched teeth.

"Aw, look who it is. It's Addy's dumb little sister. * * *" Minxy said with the sharp object in her hand.

My legs felt immobilized. All I could do is look at her in terror as she endured the pain for me. The blood soaked her and my clothes and the lashes on her back were deep.

"I..." I trained off not finding words to say.

* * * I could hear Bolt & Redheart gasp as Aria fell limp on me.

"* * *"

It's my fault... The wounds on her back was torn through the skin and some muscle. I felt like I was going to puke.

"This is my fault for not being able to act. This is what happens when someone has to save me." I whispered

Fortunately, * * *. When we were finally outside, the other kids looked at her and gasped seeing the blood all over my shirt.

"What happened in there?" The teacher asked first. I ignored him and sat on the ground. They all bombarded me with questions, but I just couldn't hear them. All I could see was Sonata on the verge of death because of me. * * *

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back in my room, laying on my bed. I guess I passed out. I got up stretching my aching body and headed towards the bathroom so I could wash off all the dried blood on me. Sonata's blood.

Once I got to the bathroom, I stripped and sunk into the bath. I wanted to go see how Sonata was doing but...

"* * *"

I doubt that she would want to see me. * * *

I sighed as I was getting out and putting on my pajamas. I opened a locker stuffing my ruined clothes in it. I was about to shut it when a small metal object caught my eye. Taking it, I shut the locker and headed back to my room.

I walked fast back to my room and slammed the door shut. My heart was pounding and my wrists ached. I needed to cut. Making sure nobody wasn't in the room, I sat down and rolled up my sleeve. With shaking hands, I took the blade and slid it gently across my wrist, watching the skin tear and the blood bubble up. I winced at first, but once the pain subsided, I sighed in euphoria. But no matter how good it felt, the sight of those girl words kept replaying in my mind. I laughed bitterly and brought the blade down on myself again with more force. My skin seemed to be devouring the blade as it cut deeper into me.

"Damn it..." I whispered to myself with tears welling up in my eyes.

If only I listened. If only I was stronger, then...

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

I gasped as my body was forcibly spun around by tugging on my blood soaked arm. The razor dropped from my right hand as I looked at his angry countenance. Aria...

"I said, what the hell do you think you're doing!?" she repeated tightening her grip on my arm.

The blood began to pour down onto her hand. I glared at her.

"None of your business,", I snapped trying to pull my arm away.

She looked taken back by the harshness in my voice but replaced it with an emotionless facade.

"Do you think harming yourself will solve anything?", she asked coldly. I snorted.

"You're right. It doesn't. Harming myself like this is only temporary. It won't solve anything." I laughed bitterly and added, "I should get it over with, shouldn't I?"

My eyes widened at the stinging pain in my cheek. I stumbled back and clutched it looking at her, who pulled back her hand.

"Don't you dare act like this is a joke." she growled. "Death is never an answer to your problems." she said approaching me. I back away from her until I was against the wall. "How would Sonata react if she saw you acting like this? She's already lost her family. She doesn't need to lose what's left of this family." she said with pain in her eyes.

Family… that's the first time I've heard her say that. * * *

"What... what would I do? I... don't want to lose anyone else." My eyes widened.

"It's selfish to commit suicide. It only hurts the people around you." she said bitterly.

"...You're right. I'm sorry.", I whispered.

She was right. I couldn't leave her or my new family who have done everything to help me.

"I'm so sorry.", I repeated shamefully with tears running down my face. Next thing I knew, I was engulfed into a warm embrace.

"Come on... You need to go to sleep.", she whispered into my ear.

I nodded silently as she carried me to bed. Once she set me down, she started to walk towards the door.

"Wait!" I exclaimed.

She turned back to look at me.

"Will you... stay with me tonight?" I asked shyly.

She looked surprised at my request but gave me a smile and went back to me. Slipping under the covers, * * *

There was a wall of * * * in front of me. On the other side was a body that nearly looked like a corpse. Her body laid there torn to pieces. It was mangled with limbs barely attached. Blood gushed out everywhere from her sickly pale body. Yet, she looked up at me. Her skin sagged from her face.

Will you * * * to save the ones dear to you?

I sat straight up from my bed, drenched in sweat. Looking to my side, I noticed that Aria was gone. Covering my mouth with my hand, I ran out the room and down the hallway.

"Adagio! Are you okay?" Bolt said watching me run in his direction.

He tried to stop me, but I merely pushed past him and ran into the bathroom. Falling to my hands and knees in front of the toilet, I started to convulse and puke my guts out.

"What's going on Adagio?" I heard from outside.

"I don't know. She just ran in there. We should probably go check on her."

"* * *?" Bolt asked.

I swear I could feel her glare.

"Fine." she mumbled.

I sat in silence as the door creaked open and two figures walked in.

"Adagio, are you okay?" she asked getting closer to the stall I was in.

I said nothing as I tried to control my breathing. I heard the footsteps stop somewhat behind me.

"Adagio, I'm coming in." she said as she slowly pushed open the stall door.

I turned my head slightly in see her shocked look as they saw me sitting on the ground with vomit on my mouth.

"Adagio...?" she said carefully bending down to reach my level.

"...You're not doing what I think you're doing, are you?", she asked carefully.

I looked at her puzzled until I saw her face take the form of the one from my dream. Turning around quickly, I started heaving again.

"* * *" she whispered.

She held my hair away from my face while rubbing my back. When I was done, she picked me up and sat me on the side of the tub. With a washcloth that she grabbed, she started to wipe away the vomit on my mouth.

"So we're you doing what I think you were doing?" she asked putting away the dirty rag.

"What do you mean?" I asked in a hoarse voice.

"Were you... throwing up on purpose?" she asked slowly.

I looked at her shocked. I was going to ask why she thought I would do that, but thinking back to earlier... of course she would be suspicious of me.

"No that wasn't it!" I exclaimed. "I just... had a nightmare is all."

"Oh good." she sighed in relief. "Besides, * * *." she said smiling at me.

I smiled. At that moment, Bolt walked in carrying a glass of water and medicine. "Thank you." I said taking it.

He nodded.

"Oh! I forgot to get something..." Aria mumbled under her breath and walking out.

"So, about yesterday..." Bolt started.

"What about it?" I asked looking away.

"You... passed." He said quietly.

"Huh?"

"The * * * exam I mean." Aria clarified. "But how?" I asked with a small sad smile.

"* * *" Bolt explained.

"Great, now you should probably head back to bed." he said getting up and stretching out his hand towards me. "It's Friday, but you still have to rest tonight and I'm sure you would want to see Sonata first thing."

He finished pulling me up. He left and as Aria was about to do the same, I saw * * *

"Here." Aria said handing me a book. "This is for you."

"Um... Thanks." I said taking it.

"Oh yeah! Breakfast should be ready first thing in the morning so make sure you meet me and Redheart in the cafeteria soon." He said with a grin before running off.

Walking back to my room, I laid down on my bed and looked inside the book. On the first page, was messy handwriting.

Adagio,

There are many ways to cope with the rough things happening or has happened to you that does not involve harming yourself. * * * or you can talk to me and we'll figure it out together.

I'll be here for you.

-Aria

Skimming through the rest of the book, I looked at all the blank pages. A journal? Maybe we can keep our thoughts in here. Was that her plan? Taking a pen from my desk and going the next page, I wrote whatever came to mind.

"* * *"

Closing the book, I laid back on my bed.

What would I do without you?

I'll be here for you.

We'll figure it out together.

I like you just the way you are.

I groaned at the realization and put a pillow over my burning face.

I've been such a fool...

Chapter 1 - Start & Help
View Online

Close Friends Stick Together

Chapter 1 - Start & Help

I looked at the building in front of me. It was rundown with lights flickering on and off on the sign. It was dark, but I managed to read it: Homeless Shelter.

I guess this is my home for now... I sighed. I would look for a better looking shelter, but it was already close to three in the morning and I was told this was the only shelter in town on the path I was going and the next town over was about 14 hours away on foot and I was sure I wasn't going to stay up that long to get a better bed. I walked inside taking in the sight of the cruddy building until I saw a middle age woman smoking at a desk. The woman noticed me approaching. She sighed and took the rolled newspaper out of her mouth.

"Name and age." she asked without looking up at me again.

"Adagio Dazzle, and I'm thirteen years old.", I mumbled, glaring at the floor as she wrote down my name.

"Breakfast is at seven, lunch at noon, and dinner at seven. Since you're a minor, you can stay for a week. Then you have to leave. You can come back two weeks after for another stay," the woman then went back to smoking and pointed to a room.

I'm assuming she’s in charge of this place. I snuck in, careful not to wake anyone up, and tiptoed to the bathroom at the other side of the room. After locking the door, I dropped my bag and took out a pair of ripped plain pants and a plain yellow tee shirt and put them on. While relieving myself, I noticed the red splotches on the ripped up sandpaper textured toilet paper.

"Oh no.", I mumbled to myself using the last of my protection.

Guess I'll make a trip to the Mini store tomorrow morning. I left the bathroom and narrowed my eyes in the dark, looking for an empty bed, but to no avail. I sigh once more laying my bag down on the ground, using it as a pillow. I fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The next morning, after having free breakfast of course, I was walking down the street with a painful headache. Looking down at the cash in my hand, I only had a few dollars. I knew it wouldn't have enough to get me a anything worthwhile. I need to find a way to get some more money before I'm forced to leave next week. Finding a Mini store, I got what I needed that was the cheapest thing there. Unfortunately, it was a cardboard, and walked out. Strangely enough, while touring through the city, I felt a pair of eyes on me.

After roaming through the city for a few hours and not finding any type of job, and ended up missing lunch, I started to head back to the shelter. On the way, I felt uneasy. Something just didn't feel right. I sped up my pace hearing footsteps behind me. They sped up with me. Terrified, I started turning random corners but the footsteps followed. I was definitely being pursued. After a while of turning into random alleys, I reached a dead end with the footsteps behind me. I froze, shut up eyes, and braced myself until-

"W-Wait," two small voices panted.

I felt a tug at the them if my shirt and turned around in shock. Two small kids were there bent over breathless from the chase, holding the end of my shirt. Two girls that were in a worse looking state then me. The somewhat serious one had dark purple hair that reached her shoulders and hazel eyes. She had darker skin than mine. She wore a dirty purple shirt and gray shorts. The other girl had strikingly beautiful light blue locks and teal colored eyes. She was sickly pale and a lot skinnier than the other one. She wore a blue knee length dress stained dark with dirt. Simultaneously, they both looked up at me after catching their breath.

"Excuse me but... do you have any spare food?"

My heart ached. After all, when I looked into their eyes, even if it was for a moment, I saw myself. I shook my head and said,

"But I know a place that can offer you something to eat."

I smiled and held the little girl’s hand while the other one walked behind me. We walked down to the shelter and walking inside, I made my way to the desk.

"Excuse me... " The woman looked up before adding, "Leaving?"

She looked like she was almost smiling.

"No, um... these two kids..." I trailed off.

She looked further down and scrunched her face in disgust.

"No." she replied, going back to twiddling a pen in her hand.

"But-"

"We have reached maximum capacity. Now leave with them or go inside without them.". she added.

I looked down at the kids, their faces full of disappointment. Then the girl in the dress approached the woman slowly. She didn't notice until she touched her hand.

"Please, we just need some-"

"Don't touch me, street filth!", The woman screeched, shoving the kid away from her.

Her nail nicked the side of the girl's cheek, resulting in a small cut. I gasped at the woman's sudden act of violence. Livid, but knowing there was nothing I could do about it, I pulled her up and intertwined our fingers.

"Let's go.", I said pulling the kids' hands, leading them outside.

A touch of a smile engraved itself on both of their faces at the gesture. I won't abandon them.

"But what about... "

"Don't worry.", I smiled interrupting the blue hair girl. "I have a plan."

I led them to the back where boxes were stacked under the window. We locked eyes in understanding. They sprinted towards the boxes and started climbing on them. I grinned and jogging to catch up. Since they were so small, I picked up both, one at a time to get them through the window, then climbed in myself. Both looked up grinning toothy smiles at me. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Alright then.", I started placing my bag at the edge of a bed. "Stay in here till I get back, do not wander off,", I said in a serious tone.

They nodded and looked down at their shoes. Smiling, I ruffled their hair and made my way to the dining room to get dinner. Once I got a plate, I went back inside to see the two of them sitting on the bed. I presented the plate to them and they gasped gleefully.

"Aren't you going to have any..."

"Adagio. My name is Adagio.", I answered the girl in the dress. "And I'm not hungry,", I said forcing a reassuring smile.

"Thank you, Adagio." She smiled before stuffing her face with food.

The other one followed after. I couldn't help but smile again, something that I've grown accustomed to by just looking at them. Especially when I noticed whenever the bright blue girl wasn't looking, the purple hair girl would push some of her portion to her side of the plate. After eating, we all laid down in a comfortable silence.

"You know," I said breaking it. "You two never told me your names yet."

The bright girl spoke up first.

"My name is Sonata," she grinned. "and I'm this many old."

She held her figures up, showing ten.

"Aria," she mumbled. "and I'm twelve years old."

"You don't have a last name?", I questioned.

They shook their head. So my assumption was right, they had no one to take care of them.

"Well, then I guess that's settled then. You two are stuck with me now," I winked.

They both lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Can I... can I call you Addy.", Sonata mumbled with a slight blush flushing her cheeks.

"Well, how can I say no to that face?", I teased making her giggle.

Aria looked away embarrassed. We talked through the night until they both passed out from fatigue. They were on either side of me, curled into my side. Wrapping an arm around both of them, I smiled at the ceiling and fell into a dream. A dream with Sonata and Aria. I finally felt like I had a family.

Chapter 10-Ajustment & Fitting In
View Online

Close Friends Stick Together

Chapter 10-Ajustment & Fitting In

*A week later*

In the morning, I was suddenly awakened by this loud announcement on the intercom.

“Good morning everybody! I hope you’re all ready to start the new day, ‘cuz we have a guest that’s coming to live with us. When she arrives, I want you to make her as welcome as she can be, okay? Now everybody, have a very good day!”

The intercom turned off and it left a sharp sound that left my ears ringing.

“What was that about?”, Sonata asked.

“Dunno. Said something about a guest, I think?”, I answered.

We got out of bed and went to the bathroom, but not before giving us our toiletries. After that, we went to brush our teeth. We took a shower and washed our faces for the first time in years, at least. Soon, we got in line for breakfast with Sonata behind me. Hard to believe It's been a week since we were at the hospital and today, we start class.

“Who do you think this new guest is gonna be?”

“No idea. Who do you think it’ll be?”

“I hope it’s Aria. I haven’t spoken to her since yesterday.”

“Me too, Sonata. Me too.”

After we got our breakfast, we set down by ourselves and we started talking to each other to kill time. She asked me,

“So what do you think school’s gonna be like?”

“Well… it has it’s ups and downs, but you can learn about many different things.”

“Like what?”

“Hmm… there is history, and homec.”

“I heard that homec was about cooking. Is that true?”

“I’m not sure. I was taught how to cook, but I was never told about anything else. I’m sure there is more though.”

“Do you think that we’ll be in the same classes?”

“Dunno. Hope so. Which would you like to try?”

Honestly, I hope we were. It would make our lives easier and so they wouldn't have to deal with any of the mean kids.

“I would like to try cooking.”

“So you wanna do homec? Fine by me.”

“Which class do you wanna take?”

“Haven’t decided yet. Maybe I could try cooking too.”

“Great!”

“Saay. What class do you think Aria wants to take?”

“No idea. Maybe drama?”

“Where did you hear that?”

“I overheard it from one of the roommates.”

“Ah. You’re learning more now that we’re here.”

“Yeah… I guess I am.”

She smiled as she said that. It feels great. I haven’t seen her this happy since the day I met her and Aria. I really hope that we end up in the same classes. It would make me forget why I was even sad in the first place. Which is saying a lot, considering what I’ve been through in the outside world. As we walked towards the front of the school, I saw someone, just sitting there minding their own business. Upon a closer look, she looked like someone I knew. It couldn’t be. It was my imagination. When I got closer, I was in shock at who it was. It was Aria. But what was she doing here? I thought she had to stay back at the hospital. Just then, I heard Sonata scream,

“ARIA!!!”

She ran over to her like she was at race track. She was never this happier to see her again. As she was about to hug her, she stopped herself which surprised me. Aria seemed just as surprised but didn't change her body language as she said,

“I see you're not the crybaby I remember.”

Sonata smiled and said,

“I'm starting to grow up just like you wanted.”

I walked over to them and said,

“Hey.”

“Hey.” Aria replied back.

“How’ve you been?” I asked.

“Well, you know… same old, same old.” she answered.

I tried to not look at the scar on her cheek. It reminded me of the foster place. Before my thoughts could go any further, I heard footsteps behind me.

“She’s going to be attending school with you two.” a voice said.

I turned around and I saw Redheart and Bolt.

“Wha-? How-? Didn’t you say she needed to stay at the hospital for a few months?”

“Correct, but we spoke to the administrator, and he said that she could go… on the condition that we supervise her in her daily activities.”

“What does ‘supervise’ mean?” Sonata asked.

“It means to watch over someone on another person’s order.”, I answered.

Sonata still had no idea what I meant, so I said,

“You’ll understand when we’re in class.”

“Okay!”, she said, beaming with a smile.

I looked at Bolt and he smiled.

“We will see you later but for now, you girls should get to class before you're late.”, he said as he waved goodbye.

We helped her up from her seat and we can see that she’s actually doing better. I asked her,

“So what have you been doing back at the hospital?”

“Well, I had to go through a few tests to see if I could recover.”

“What kind of tests?”, Sonata asked.

“They had me walk while I was holding onto these poles, did a lobotomy on me or whatever that’s called, and they had me take a few blood samples.”

“Hmm. Sounds like a great vacation.”, I said, sarcastically.

“Hey, none of that crap was easy, you know. I had to wake up early every day because the nurse had to check up on my health, and the food was nasty. Almost made me miss the food I would pick up off the ground.”, she said, annoyingly.

“At least you had someplace to sleep in, and it’s actually warm.”

“They kept treating me like a kid.” Aria said angrily.

“What’s the harm in that?”

“They wouldn’t let me use the bathroom without a nurse, I couldn’t get anything to eat without a guard asking me where I was going, and I had to take my medicine two times a day. Try wrapping your head around that.”

“Oh please, you’re just sappy that you couldn’t sneak a candy bar into your room without inspection.”

“Oh, come on girls… let's not fight.”, Sonata, said stepping in.

“Don’t worry, Sonata. It’s not a fight. We’re just talking about how being treated as a guest is a good thing.”

“Guest?”

“It’s someone who’s been invited by the person in charge.”

“Ah. Learning is fun.”

As we kept walking, I noticed Sonata kept averting her eyes at Aria’s scar. I asked her,

“What’re you looking at, Sonata?”

“Oh… it’s nothing.”

“Really? Looks like something from what I can tell.”

“What’re ya looking at?”, Aria asked.

“Well…”

“Don’t worry, Sonata. Nothing bad’s gonna happen to Aria.”

She didn't say anything, but simply nodded.

“You worry too much. I’ve been through worse.”

I rolled my eyes when she said. As we were walking, I began to notice that everybody is looking at us like we were today’s new lodger’s at the homeless shelter. Just then, I heard a voice that I never wanted to hear,

“Hey everybody! It’s the town tart.”

I recognized that voice and it stung me like a thousand knifes. Minxy Link. But what was she doing here? I thought she stayed back home with her parents. Nevermind. As long as I stayed away from her, nothing bad would happen. But this brought up another question: how did she end up here? Are those other two with her? No, that doesn't matter. We walked up the staircase and we saw this door that was right in front of us. They walked inside and I walked up to the door.

As I looked at it, I releasing a breath I didn't know I was holding. I held the doorknob in my hand, but I just didn't have the courage to open it. I thought about just turning back until...

"Hey, Addy! Are you going in or what?"

I squealed in fright and jumped, which resulted in me pushing down on the door knob and ungracefully tumbling into the room, landing face first unto the floor. I turned slightly to glare at the person who scared me and caused me to embarrass myself, which so happened to be Sonata who gave me a weird smile and muttered 'oops' under her breath.

"What an idiot...", I heard a voice say amongst the kids in the classroom.

"I told you that girl's stupidity was contagious." said another.

After getting up, with the help of Aria, Sonata went to her seat next to a short green hair girl while I roamed my eyes across the classroom, looking at the different faces. To the right, there was a group of three boys, obviously in a clique. There was a boy with toned hair and many piercings giving me a hard glare. The boy next to him was a short boy with some hair spots missing and gray glasses. He looked kind. Behind the rebellious wannabe, was a boy who had blond hair and a goofy grin making a 'call me' gesture with his hand. I rolled my eyes at him. In the front seat of the middle row was Sonata who gave me a small smile when she noticed my gaze. Next to her was a blonde girl with short hair and bright green eyes. And the the left side of the room was a petite girl with purple hair and tiny eyebrows. She too gave me a cold glare. Great, I have two people that hate me already. And they were teenagers, which didn't help.

While I filled out boring paperwork with the director this morning, I manage to get Aria and Sonata along with me to the cram school since I was the only one who could fend for them right now. I wasn't about to let them be by themselves in a school where nobody knows them. I smiled at and took a seat next to Sonata.

“I wonder who our teacher’s gonna be?”, Sonata whispered to me.

“No idea. Hopefully she’s nicer than my last teacher.”, I answered.

“Why’s that?”

“Well, it’s a long story…”

Sonata gave me a confused look as soon as I said that.

“Let’s just say that she wasn’t nice.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Just then, we heard a door open. We looked and she looked like she was our new teacher. She looked like she was 50, but I have no idea. She looked older. She was wearing this grey suit that you would normally see at a church. Her hair was brown, but it had shades of white. She also had makeup with glasses on, giving her the appearance of a single woman. Just then, cleared her throat and said,

“Good morning class. My name is Algebra Geo. I will be your teacher this year. Now, after I’m done taking attendance, I’m gonna call you up one by one to introduce yourselves to this class in alphabetical order. And also, we have a new student joining us today.”

I was caught by surprise when she said that. I wondered who she could be? I just hope she’s not someone I met at my old school. It would just make things worse.

“Come in, sweetie.”

The person walked in and had long pink hair that covered one side of her face. Her skin was as white as a marshmallow you’d see in a bag. Her clothes even looked stylish, yet they had a casual feel to them. She looked familiar to me. I couldn’t put my finger on it. She looked like someone I knew. Have we went to school together? It took me a few seconds to realize who it was. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Why is she here?

“Would you care to introduce yourself, young lady?”

“My name is Fleur Dis Lee, and I will be part of this class. I hope to get along well with all of you. Also, I was classmates with Adagio Dazzle. She was a dear friend of mine. I hope to treat her nicely as well.”

“Hmm, I see. Anyway, take your seat and we will discuss today’s assignment.”

When she finished talking, she walked towards the desk she was assigned to. Before she sat down, she saw me. Her gaze made my blood freeze the moment she turned her face. She didn’t say anything or make a face. She just quietly walked over and sat down, acting as if I didn’t exist. Which is fine by me, because one less classmate bothering me is one less bad thing that could happen to me. But still, how did she even end up here, of all places? I thought she’d be living it up with her parents and her “friends”. I knew that she wasn’t the type that wouldn’t engage in the drama with Minxie, but I can’t take any chances with her. If I get drawn into something with her, history would be repeating itself, and I will not allow that to happen this time.

“Now, we will begin by introducing and talking about ourselves, in alphabetical order.”

When we were finished introducing ourselves, she gave us an assignment sheet for our class assignment. It was an English paper that appeared to be grammar spelling. I looked over to Sonata and she appeared to be have some trouble. I asked her,

“What’s the matter, Sonata?”

“Well, I can’t figure out-”

“Shhh.” the teacher interrupted.

We looked at her and she wasn’t happy with Sonata speaking. She placed her eyes back on her work after giving us a nasty look.

“Why don’t we whisper for right now?”, I said.

“Okay.”, she said, whispering.

“So, what’s the matter?”

“Well, I can’t figure out what this says or what this means. Could you please help me?”

“Sure. What do you need help with?”

“Well, right here…”

I helped Sonata with her writing and her spelling, and it was all easy for some reason. I guess school can come in handy at times. Still, looking back on all of what I did, nothing has really changed. Everybody just minded their own business and just wanted to finish up so they could go home or back to their rooms. Suddenly, I felt a spitball hit my head. I ignored it. Then I felt another one. Again, I ignored it. I felt it again, and this time, I turned around and I didn’t see anybody.

An hour has passed by, and we were given a fifteen minute break. When I put my pencil away and preparing to talk to my sisters, Fleur walked over to me. I had no idea what she was going to say to me. I didn’t even wanna know what she was gonna do. I kept my guard up as she approached. She got closer to my desk. Suddenly, Sonata asked,

“Who’re you?”

“I’m nobody special. I just wanna talk to Addy for a few minutes.”, Fleur answered.

“And what do you wanna talk to her about?”, Aria asked, sounding defensive.

“We’re classmates. We haven’t spoken to each other for some time, ever since that ‘incident’.”

I turned my head away when I clearly knew what she was referring to.

“Just a few minutes. I won’t take long.”, she said with a friendly smile.

Feeling unsettled about this, they backed away from me over by the doorway. She got closer to me and she said,

“How’s life?”

“Same old, same old.”, I answered, sarcastically.

“I can tell that you’re busy, so I’ll make this quick. I have no idea how you got here or when you transferred here, but I will make one thing clear: don’t bother me.”

Huh? Don’t bother her? What was she going on about? I don’t remember anything about being with her, other than being with Minxie and Suri.

“What do you mean?”

“Listen closely, because I’m only gonna say this once. Me and my friends had a small problem in our relationship, so I have no one else to turn to but myself. You want the same thing as I do, right? Well, it’s simple. Stay the hell out of my way.”

“But I don’t-”

“I don’t care what you do in your spare time, whether it be by yourself, or with your friends. But if you just keep away from me, then there will be no problems.”

“Just what do you want?”

“A fresh start.”

“A fresh start?”

“Yes. A fresh start. I want my classmates to see me as someone whom they’ve never encountered before. I want everything that happened between us to be as if it had never happened before. And if Minxie asks, tell her that I don’t know who she is.”

“But what did Minxie-”

“Let’s just say that it wasn’t a pretty sight.”

“Huh?”

“Like I said, I want everything that happened between us to never exist. And if you do that, I will leave you and your friends alone. But if you fail to understand this…”

I held myself back when she said those words. There’s really something off about what she’s telling me. Then she said,

“Well, I’ll leave that to your imagination. I will be honest though. It was good seeing you again. Things never really change, do they?”

“I… suppose.”

“Hmm. It’s nearly five minutes. We better get- oh. You’re already at your seat.”, she said, giggling.

She walked back to her seat without even batting an eye. The way she spoke sounded serious. Did she really mean all that? Did she really want to start over? I had no idea what was going through her head. Just then, my sisters came to me and Sonata asked,

“Who was that?”

Fleur turned her head towards me in a discrete manner.

“No idea. Never met her before my whole life.”, I lied.

“Okay.”, she said.

“Oh come on. She must’ve said something to you. Do you honestly believe that-”, Aria said.

“I don’t know her.”, I falsely assured.

“Hmph.”, she said as she returned to her desk.

It was clear to me that she never wanted to see me again. But I still couldn’t shake the question on why she spoke to me about all this. Was she trying to tell me something, or is it a trap. Maybe I’m overthinking it. But either way, as long as she doesn’t bother me, or my sisters, I don’t care about what she does. Hours went by really quick in class and break. It felt like everything was going fast. I had no idea why, but it felt pretty good.

After cram school was over with, Blot and Redheart came over and ask if we needed help finding our dorm. I accepted the offer, and gave them my dorm number, which they at laughed at gave each other a weird glance. Both of their faces was also tinged with a smile, but I chose to ignore it.

When we finally arrived, we looked at the building. It was huge, but old, and from the windows we could tell it was well furnished.

"So, is this it?" I asked having trouble holding back my smile.

"Yep. Welcome to your new home Sonata, Adagio, Aria.", he said, smiling at me. I looked over to Aria and saw her frown.

"I never said you could call me that," she said as I opened the door.

He ignored the comment as they walked in with Sonata tailing behind us.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?!" Aria exclaimed following after them. “Don't you think it was rude to just barge in?”

He turned around and chuckled a little. The room was rather small and there were two beds.

"Oh yeah, we forgot to mention... we will be living here too. Or rather, we'll be in the next room." he said with an awkward smile.

"But isn't that against some rule or something for us to dorm together?", I protested.

"Do you have anything against my rules child?", The director asked coming out from behind him.

Bolt jumped and looked behind him as the director spoke.

"Come on, director, that's the third time you've scared me this month,", he sighed.

The director ignored him.

"Anyway, you won't be able to get a proper dorm unless you enroll in the academy's elementary school, but there's no point in that. All the girls dorms are filled up. Besides," he said leaning into my ear so only I could hear. "I can't have someone with your lineage running around here freely without someone watching you. So be a good girl and don't complain unless you want to go back to living on the streets.", he pulled back with a smirk.

Then in an instant, he vanished. Sonata and Blot looked at me with curious eyes, sensing my change of mood.

"I... I need some fresh air." I said, forcing a smile as I left the dorm.

I walked deep in thought until I came across a park with a fountain. Sitting on it, I looked down at my hands. Just how much did that director know about me? Hearing laughter, I looked to the side seeing the other exwires from the cram school. They all sat talking under a tree near the fountain. They didn't seem to notice me. It was the same ones from class.

"So what do you guys think of the new chick?" The boy suddenly asked.

"Which one?" The girl asked.

"Adagio. Or was it 'Addy', like her dumb sister called her?"

"Oh her. She's an idiot, I mean, I can't believe she came through the door and fell on her face!"

The girl laughed.

"It kinda reminded me of you, Ace."

He frowned with a blush.

"Jeez, that big guy must be getting it on with her. I'm jealous." The girl sighed.

"W-what makes you think that?" She asked with a mortified expression.

"Well, they did know each other before she came in, didn't they? Plus, I heard a rumor that she's done certain things just to get by! I mean, how pathetic do you have to be to do those things?", Ace drooled. "Plus... I followed her so I could find out what dorm she's in, and it turns out she's living with her little sisters and some guy! Man, imagine all the snooze fest they must be having...", he added.

"Oh man! I'd be careful Sunrise, that slut might take Storm from you.",

She blushed, but I didn't miss the sad expression on her face.

"That can't be true though, doesn't she already have a kid...?", she questioned.

"Why does that matter? She probably got knocked up by someone when she was young.", he replied. "We don't know anything about her or where she came from. For all we know, she could be nothing but a whore."

After hearing that, it started to rain. They got up and left, running off to god knows where. I looked up to the cloudy sky. Ever since Aria got better, it seemed to rain a lot lately.

My thoughts were interrupted by a black umbrella. Holding it over me, was none other than Sonata, who had their hand stretch out in front of me. Taking it, she helped me up and walked back to the dorm in silence. There was probably nothing for her to say after what she heard.

When we reached the dorm and I turned to go to my room to have her stop me by grabbing my hand. I looked back to see her looking down with her bangs covering her face, her eyes avoiding mine.

"Listen Addy, I... I'm sorry I didn't say anything to them when they were saying that stuff about you. It's just... Never mind, it's still no excuse. Just please give them time to get used to you. I promise they'll warm up to you."

I softly squeezed her hand and gave her what I hope was a reassuring smile, to which she returned. Then, left her in the hallway. I didn't belong here. I went to my room finding a uniform folded neatly on my bed. It was a white button-up shirt, a black blazer, a black tie with red and white stripes, and a black skirt. The director let me change some aspects of my uniform such as the color, but refused to change the skirt to pants... What a geezer... Besides the uniform, I had no other clothes to change into. Perhaps I will take them to go shopping with me tomorrow.

Leaving the room, I walked down the creaking halls to the women's bathroom. After quickly undressing, I jumped in the bath and soaked in the hot water. After a while, I grabbed a razor and began to shave since I had to wear the skirt tomorrow. While shaving, I winced from accidentally cutting my leg. I looked down at the warm blood oozing from the cut and falling into the water. It hurt, but yet... It was so satisfying and relieving, like a weight being lifted off of my chest. I looked at the razor and pulled the blade out, cutting my fingers in the process. Idiot. Slut. Whore.

Maybe I am all of these things. After all, I have given my body up for money on several occasions and having to deal with the perverts who wanted to feel me up and trying to have a good time with my body. Just thinking about it made me wanna puke.

With a shaking hand, I traced the crisscrossing scars along my wrist. And then I cut. I cut to feel numb, to cause severe pain to myself physically, that I can forget about the years of emotional pain in my life. My parents, the streets, everyone. I cut to feel empty. To not suffer. To be happy and to care for them.

Once the bath turned into a light shade of red, I got out and hid the razor and bloody towel that I used to dry myself in a locker. I bandaged myself, got dressed, left the bathroom, and made my way to my room. I had to hold on to walls to prevent myself from falling along the way. I was dizzy from all the blood loss and I felt like I was going to puke.

“Addy? Are you okay in there? You’ve been quiet for almost forty-five minutes now.” Sonata said worried.

“I’m fine, Sonata. I’m just getting my pajamas on.” I answered.

“Are you sure? Because I smell something weird in there,” she said worriedly.

“I promise. There’s nothing wrong. Why don’t you go and see what Aria’s up to?”

“Really? Is there anything-”

“Don’t worry. Everything is in good hands.”

“But it smells like-”

“It’s alright. Just go check on Aria.”

“Okay…”

I heard her walking away from the doorway. I look at my arms and they were stained in blood. It’s all over the floor and I didn’t have any disinfectant to clean it. And I knew I would never hear the end of it if anyone saw this. I needed something to wash it, and I needed it fast. But what? All I had with me are my clothes, toiletries, and my tow- wait. If I could use my towels, I could wipe it away, even if it was still visible. I grabbed the towels and I began wiping the floors very hard. As I wiped, I kept thinking about what my classmates said about me, especially Fleur Dis Lee.

Did she really mean it? What could she gain from telling me to leave her alone? Is she planning on pulling a vicious prank on me? Is she trying to turn the whole school against me? Just what does she want? Maybe I’m overthinking it, but I still can’t shake the nerve that she actually spoke to me today. And she told me that she was glad to see me again. Something’s very wrong from what I can tell. Still, it just makes everything feel normal to me. Even if it is, I’d still feel glad that I have Aria and Sonata with me against this world gone cold. But this pain just feels relieving, and I can’t get it out of my mind. I feel like I travelled to a whole new world, and it feels so great. This pain is just too refreshing.

As I got the floor mostly removed of blood, I wrapped my arms in toilet paper and exited out of the bathroom. Once I closed the door behind me, I saw Aria already asleep in the other bed. Sonata was on the other side passed out. I crashed into the other side of the bed and wrapped my arms around Sonata. No matter what, I wasn't going to lose them too. They're all I've got left.