The air around Blu would have been suffocating at best for most people, but to her, it was the perfect working environment. As she struck and punched the dummy in front of her, she could only think about one thing.

“AWWWE C’mon! You were doing to goood—” A deep, condescending voice bled through the walls of the house's garage, a place Blu swore up and down was a serious work environment. It was hard to take her seriously with all of the pretty rugs and old furniture laying around, but she fought through it. Just like how she fought through the couch and scorched a hole into it, which is still burning after all those years. The thought of tearing in a new one always made her smile. A smile that was ripped away every time Bei talked.

“What’s wrong, Suuunshiiiiine?—” A crooked smile split the seams of the leather face of the boxing dummy; it was on its way out anyway, but it still could have been kept for future reference. The face peeled back to reveal a large, reddened eye, staring down at Blu. Tired, Blu threw a towel over her shoulders and threw herself onto the scolding couch, making sure to avoid the hole that was in the back of it. She tossed her head into her hand, letting out a groan of annoyance.

The dummy melted away, leaving nothing but the stand in its place as the shadowy mass that came from it inched closer to Blu. It crawled onto the couch, fusing into a more “human” like shape. The sounds of bones snapping together and flesh forming onto them echoed through the room before the mass leaned over to hug the saddened girl next to it. Blu let out a bigger groan, giving in to the embrace and hugged it back. Realizing the reaction, she quickly pushed herself away.

“I— I don’t know, Bei. Usually, I’m excited to go to school, but— I don’t know.” Conflicted, Blu started to pack up her workout equipment. There were arrangements of dumbbells and jump ropes laid out on the floor, some of which hadn’t been moved in days. She never really let anyone in that wasn’t a family member of hers to avoid awkward talks about whether or not she was old enough to own any of it. Even then, the only people she told were her parents and her brother, Taiyo. She never had time to tell her sister before she left, but that was the last thing Blu was worried about.

“Most of the people that go to this school went to my old one. How do I confront them after what happened?”

“Okay, first of all, you beat that whiny brat’s ass. No one is going to make fun of you for winning a fight. At least I hope n— THAT’S not the point.” Bei jumped up from the couch, dusting itself off while looking at it with concern. The house was “Inferno” proofed, but words can only be believed for so long.

“The point is, you don’t need to worry about what other people think. They’re all gonna die one way or another, and when the world ends, nothing will matter—”

“You are not helping.”

“Oh, well fine. Maybe Cupid can help you with your emotional issues. Oh wait— weren’t they the reason you ended up in not one, but TWO obsessive relationships with people that never even liked you? Funny how time can make you forget things like that.”

“I don’t have time for your tantrums. I have school tomorrow—” Putting up the last of her things, Blu grabbed her towel and headed out the door and to her room. Bei following close behind. As the door to her opened, Blu flicked on the light switch, squinting her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the light.

As she entered the room, the sickening image of her room burned into her eyes. The Alice-Blue covered walls melted into white as the hand painted clouds trailed along each wall. The wall straight ahead was interrupted by a bay window that easily took up about a third of it, the edge of it lined with thin starry curtains. Below the window had a seating area, drowned in star and moon shaped pillow that looked untouched since the day they were bought. Her bed was placed on the right side of the room, a small canopy curtain covering that as well. The pillows were scattered and flipped along with her blanket. A draw was placed on the left side of it: a desk on the right. The left side of the room had a bookshelf, covered in papers and candle wax. A few crystals placed within the haunting mess of burnt, wax covered notes. Just the way she liked it.

Blu slugged to her closet, shuffling through clothes and boxes to find something to wear for the night, knowing that it was almost noon and that she would probably change her mind five times that same day. After finding a shirt, there was a knock on her door. Blu tossed the shirt onto her bed and turned to the sound.

“Oh— Hey Ma.” Blu smiled at what seemed to be her equally tired mother.

“Get in the shower. We have to buy you some clothes.

“What— Now? School starts tomorrow, I—”

“SHhhhhhut up. Do you want new clothes or not? Because last time I checked, somebody wouldn’t stop complaining about the old clothes that they had.” The woman glared at her daughter, leaning against the doorway and waiting for an answer. Blu was fine with the clothes that she had. They were small, but not unbearable to wear. They were just a little… kid-ish. No other fourteen year old would be caught in hell with them on, but Blu wasn’t like the other kids, and they all had bad taste anyway.

Blu looked around the room, realizing that she really had nothing else to do for the rest of the day. She quietly nodded, continuing to dig through her closet for the rest of the outfit that she was planning on wearing. Her mother left the doorway to go pack up her things. 

The ride to the store was pretty uneventful; quiet too. Even though Blu was best friends with her mother, they had nothing to talk about. Blu had spent most of her time studying at the expense of hanging out with her friends, so that was out of the question. Her mother only really had stress about adult topics, and Blu wouldn’t need to pay bills for another 4 years. Besides, it would have been a very, very boring conversation. But even though it was quiet, it wasn’t weird. The radio wasn’t playing very loudly in the background; it never had anything interesting playing. Most of the car ride was just the sounds of the road.

They finally arrived at the store. It was just a run of the mill alternative store, nothing too heavy. Not that anything would shock or kill her mother, the woman owned a shotgun. Blu took her time walking around the store, picking out a few things here and there and trying on clothes that she wasn’t sure would fit. A few bracelets, a couple of shirts, and a set of rings was all she needed before they both headed back out.

On the ride back home, they got a quick snack, bringing a few things for the rest of her family so that they wouldn’t feel left out. They were always overdramatic with small things like that.

The sun rose and the day started. Blu turned her alarm off before it could ring and adrenaline filled her veins. She jumped out of her bed and threw on the clothes that she had bought the day before. She had been planning for this day since the second week of winter vacation. The month of December was, of course, spent with her family, but if she could get out of a gathering, she did. And by January, she had read every book that she needed for the year. She still planned on bringing it with her though. No amount of reading a book could make you remember it word for word. 

Blu rushed down the stairs, scarfing down her cereal, brushing her teeth, doing her hair, and ending it all with grabbing her backpack and flying out the front door. This year, she was going to take the bus. Her family had finally moved close enough to a school to put her on the bus, so they took it the second they realized that they could. Pacing to the street corner, Blu looked up from the ground. She was so focused on what she was going to do when she got to school that she had stopped paying attention to where she was going. Before it was too late, she caught herself, looking up at the street to make sure that she didn’t pass the bus stop.

Unfortunately, no matter how prepared she was, she would never get over the fact that she was there.

Kimberly.