Incendiary

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^^^^ You wake up in the morning to an oddly quiet home. Your 8-year-old sister, who is usually incredibly excitable, isn't waking you up or in your room like she normally is, considering the fact that you tend to sleep late. What is your sister's name? <<textbox "$sisname" "">> You call out for her. [[Next->Opening]]

What is your name? <<textbox "$name" "">> "$sisname?" Your anxiety is growing by the second, and you're pretty sure more grays are appearing in the roots of your <<cycle "$haircolor" autoselect>> <<option "ginger">> <<option "blonde">> <<option "brown">> <<option "black">> <<option "blonde">> <<option "dyed">> <</cycle>> hair as you speak. Being her sole caretaker after the incident made you worry about $sisname that much more. She was all you and your brother had left now, and wasn't exactly very cautious. You had to worry about her safety much more than you did your brother, who mostly kept to himself and didn't cause trouble like $sisname did. Suddenly, you smelled smoke. Shit. You practically threw yourself out of bed and down the hallway towards the kitchen, the source of the smell. Bursting into the room, your sister stood behind your brother, trembling as he frantically tried to put out a burning piece of bacon. Sighing, both in relief and exhasperation, you grabbed the lid from the counter, slamming it on top of the pan and turning off the heat of the stove before you turned to give your siblings a withering glare. Your brother shrunk under your gaze, biting his lip. "Sorry..." What is your brother's name? <<textbox "$broname" "">> [[Scold them.->Kitchen O Scold]] [[Accept their apology.->Kitchen O Accept]] [[Go back to bed.->Kitchen O Funny]]

"What the hell were you two doing? You could've gotten hurt!" $sisname flinches, squeaking as she hides even farther behind $broname. "It was his idea, $name!" "Uh, Happy Birthday!" You look at your brother, confused, until your expression softens. "You remembered?" You didn't usually make a huge deal of your birthday, and, with your siblings being young, you didn't expect them to think of you. If you were being honest, you forgot yourself. However, their mention of it made you remember something. Your hand automatically shoots to the burn scar on your... [[Thigh->Burn Leg]] [[Forearm->Burn Arm]] [[Cheek->Burn Face]] [[Shoulder->Burn Shoulder]]

"It's fine." You say, only about half meaning it. $sisname looks relieved and moves from her hiding place behind $broname. "Happy Birthday!" You look at her, confused, until your expression softens. "You remembered?" You didn't usually make a huge deal of your birthday, and, with your siblings being young, you didn't expect them to think of you. If you were being honest, you forgot yourself. However, their mention of it made you remember something. Your hand automatically shoots to the burn scar on your... [[Thigh->Burn Leg]] [[Forearm->Burn Arm]] [[Cheek->Burn Face]] [[Shoulder->Burn Shoulder]]

"I'm going back to bed." You say dramatically, turning around. You, however, don't get far before your sister grabs your wrist and turns you around, giant smile on her tiny face. "Happy Birthday!" You look at her, confused, until your expression softens. "You remembered?" You didn't usually make a huge deal of your birthday, and, with your siblings being young, you didn't expect them to think of you. If you were being honest, you forgot yourself. However, their mention of it made you remember something. Your hand automatically shoots to the burn scar on your... [[Thigh->Burn Leg]] [[Forearm->Burn Arm]] [[Cheek->Burn Face]] [[Shoulder->Burn Shoulder]]

Your hand automatically shoots to the burn scar on your thigh, the rough skin there no longer unusual to feel. After all, it did appear seven years ago. //You ran through the burning house, panicked tears running down your face. You couldn't lose her. Not yet. Your one-year-old sister was somewhere in this house. Maybe she was dead already, you had no way of knowing, but you had hope. She needed to be alive. You already gave up on finding your parents, and $broname had already gotten out. As of now, saving her was all you could do. You burst into the nursery, and there she was. She bawled her little eyes out, sitting in the smoke-filled room all by herself. You picked $sisname up, holding her close to your chest as you backed out of the small room. You muttered to yourself as you fought to escape, and it seemed like you were going to make it, before the floor broke. The part of the floor on which you were standing collapsed, and you fell to the ground. "No!" You cried out as a burning piece of wood flew at your sister, hitting her in the leg. You couldn't keep her safe. You frantically tried to put out the flame, but to no avail. You could barely move at this point, your ankle was definitely broken. As you were trying to help her, however, you started feeling sparks on your own lower body. The flame that burned at your sister's flesh flickered out, and you screamed as you realized what was happening. The fire had transferred to your own thigh, somehow, yet hers looks entirely unaffected. What the hell? A bright light nearly blinded you as it appeared, and the fire on your own body went out. Then, just as you heard the sirens of the fire department arriving, you lost consciousness. What a great way to spend your 18th birthday.// What is your last name? <<textbox "$lastname" "">> "[["Hey!"->Kitchen 2]]"

Your hand automatically shoots to the burn scar on your forearm, the rough skin there no longer unusual to feel. After all, it did appear seven years ago. //You ran through the burning house, panicked tears running down your face. You couldn't lose her. Not yet. Your one-year-old sister was somewhere in this house. Maybe she was dead already, you had no way of knowing, but you had hope. She needed to be alive. You already gave up on finding your parents, and $broname had already gotten out. As of now, saving her was all you could do. You burst into the nursery, and there she was. She bawled her little eyes out, sitting in the smoke-filled room all by herself. You picked $sisname up, holding her close to your chest as you backed out of the small room. You muttered to yourself as you fought to escape, and it seemed like you were going to make it, before the floor broke. The part of the floor on which you were standing collapsed, and you fell to the ground. "No!" You cried out as a burning piece of wood flew at your sister, hitting her in the arm. You couldn't keep her safe. You frantically tried to put out the flame, but to no avail. You could barely move at this point, your ankle was definitely broken. As you were trying to help her, however, you started feeling sparks on your own upper body. The flame that burned at your sister's flesh flickered out, and you screamed as you realized what was happening. The fire had transferred to your own forearm, somehow, yet hers looks entirely unaffected. What the hell? A bright light nearly blinded you as it appeared, and the fire on your own body went out. Then, just as you heard the sirens of the fire department arriving, you lost consciousness. What a great way to spend your 18th birthday.// What is your last name? <<textbox "$lastname" "">> "[[Hey!->Kitchen 2]]"

Your hand automatically shoots to the burn scar on your cheek, the rough skin there no longer unusual to feel. After all, it did appear seven years ago. //You ran through the burning house, panicked tears running down your face. You couldn't lose her. Not yet. Your one-year-old sister was somewhere in this house. Maybe she was dead already, you had no way of knowing, but you had hope. She needed to be alive. You already gave up on finding your parents, and $broname had already gotten out. As of now, saving her was all you could do. You burst into the nursery, and there she was. She bawled her little eyes out, sitting in the smoke-filled room all by herself. You picked $sisname up, holding her close to your chest as you backed out of the small room. You muttered to yourself as you fought to escape, and it seemed like you were going to make it, before the floor broke. The part of the floor on which you were standing collapsed, and you fell to the ground. "No!" You cried out as a burning piece of wood flew at your sister, hitting her straight in the face. You couldn't keep her safe. You frantically tried to put out the flame, but to no avail. You could barely move at this point, your ankle was definitely broken. As you were trying to help her, however, you started feeling sparks on your own face. The flame that burned at your sister's flesh flickered out, and you screamed as you realized what was happening. The fire had transferred to your own face, somehow, yet her face looks entirely unaffected. What the hell? A bright light nearly blinded you as it appeared, and the fire on your own body went out. Then, just as you heard the sirens of the fire department arriving, you lost consciousness. What a great way to spend your 18th birthday.// What is your last name? <<textbox "$lastname" "">> "[["Hey!"->Kitchen 2]]"

Your hand automatically shoots to the burn scar on your shoulder, the rough skin there no longer unusual to feel. After all, it did appear seven years ago. //You ran through the burning house, panicked tears running down your face. You couldn't lose her. Not yet. Your one-year-old sister was somewhere in this house. Maybe she was dead already, you had no way of knowing, but you had hope. She needed to be alive. You already gave up on finding your parents, and $broname had already gotten out. As of now, saving her was all you could do. You burst into the nursery, and there she was. She bawled her little eyes out, sitting in the smoke-filled room all by herself. You picked $sisname up, holding her close to your chest as you backed out of the small room. You muttered to yourself as you fought to escape, and it seemed like you were going to make it, before the floor broke. The part of the floor on which you were standing collapsed, and you fell to the ground. "No!" You cried out as a burning piece of wood flew at your sister, hitting her in the shoulder. You couldn't keep her safe. You frantically tried to put out the flame, but to no avail. You could barely move at this point, your ankle was definitely broken. As you were trying to help her, however, you started feeling sparks on your own upper body. The flame that burned at your sister's flesh flickered out, and you screamed as you realized what was happening. The fire had transferred to your own shoulder, somehow, yet hers looks entirely unaffected. What the hell? A bright light nearly blinded you as it appeared, and the fire on your own body went out. Then, just as you heard the sirens of the fire department arriving, you lost consciousness. What a great way to spend your 18th birthday.// What is your last name? <<textbox "$lastname" "">> "[["Hey!"->Kitchen 2]]"

Snapping out of your daze at the sound of your sister's voice calling your name. It was then that you noticed the tears streaming down your cheeks. Looking over to your brother, you saw him on his cell phone, talking to someone and mentioning the ocurrance of another "episode." Next thing you knew, you sat in the lobby of your therapist's office. "$name $lastname?" The receptionist called from her desk. "ID, please?" She asked, looking at you over the rims of her glasses. You handed her your driver's license, stating the basic information. You are a... [[Woman->Therapist W]] [[Man->Therapist M]] [[Person->Therapist GN]]

You are a twenty-five year old woman, with <<cycle "$hairlength" autoselect>> <<option "long">> <<option "shoulder-length">> <<option "chin-length">> <<option "short">> <<option "buzzed">> <</cycle>> hair and <<cycle "$facialhair" autoselect>> <<option "no">> <<option "some">> <<option "thick">> <</cycle>> facial hair. You have <<cycle "$piercings" autoselect>> <<option "no">> <<option "a few">> <<option "many">> <</cycle>> facial piercings and a unique sense of style, not sticking to any particular genre and just wearing whatever you feel like, but you tend to dress <<cycle "$style" autoselect>> <<option "feminine">> <<option "masculine">> <<option "androgynous">> <</cycle>>. The receptionist hands your driver's license back and tells you to head on into your therapist's office. You started going to Mark for counseling a few months after the fire, and confided in him about your suspicions for what really happened. You would tell him things like how you thought the fire started, what that bright light was, and how the flames transferred from your sister to yourself, and he hadn't judged you once. You entered his office to find him sitting in an armchair that sat opposite a large couch, reading a book. He looked up at you and smiled, bright teeth and light green eyes contrasting beautifully with his dark skin. Mark was a good-looking guy, for sure, but you can't say you paid much attention to that fact after getting to know him. He was good at listening and advice, and he was reliable. That was all you needed. "So, $broname tells me you had another episode?" You plop yourself down on the couch, sighing heavily. "There's been a lot more lately. Now, whenever I touch my scar, I remember the fire. It's so vivid sometimes that I can feel my skin burning." You shiver a bit, and Mark nods, much less cheerful now. "I'm very sorry to hear that, $name. Has anything happened in your life recently that could have triggered this change?" You shake your head, your life isn't really all that exciting. "Hm. When did this spike in episodes first start?" Thinking back, the last time you can remember them being this bad was exactly one year ago; your twenty-fourth birthday. "My birthday last year." Mark hums curiously and writes something down, before setting down his notebook and holding out his hands. "May I have your hands for a moment, $name?" You nod and he takes your hands in his, closing his eyes as he does so. You swear you can feel the energy in the room shift, but the sensation is gone almost as quickly as it appeared. Mark pulls away from you, a strange look on his face. He quickly writes down an address and gives it to you, standing up after doing so. "[[Come here at midnight, there is someone I need you to meet.->Home]]"

You are a twenty-five year old man, with <<cycle "$hairlength" autoselect>> <<option "long">> <<option "shoulder-length">> <<option "chin-length">> <<option "short">> <<option "buzzed">> <</cycle>> hair and <<cycle "$facialhair" autoselect>> <<option "no">> <<option "some">> <<option "thick">> <</cycle>> facial hair. You have <<cycle "$piercings" autoselect>> <<option "no">> <<option "a few">> <<option "many">> <</cycle>> facial piercings and a unique sense of style, not sticking to any particular genre and just wearing whatever you feel like, but you tend to dress <<cycle "$style" autoselect>> <<option "feminine">> <<option "masculine">> <<option "androgynous">> <</cycle>>. The receptionist hands your driver's license back and tells you to head on into your therapist's office. You started going to Mark for counseling a few months after the fire, and confided in him about your suspicions for what really happened. You would tell him things like how you thought the fire started, what that bright light was, and how the flames transferred from your sister to yourself, and he hadn't judged you once. You entered his office to find him sitting in an armchair that sat opposite a large couch, reading a book. He looked up at you and smiled, bright teeth and light green eyes contrasting beautifully with his dark skin. Mark was a good-looking guy, for sure, but you can't say you paid much attention to that fact after getting to know him. He was good at listening and advice, and he was reliable. That was all you needed. "So, $broname tells me you had another episode?" You plop yourself down on the couch, sighing heavily. "There's been a lot more lately. Now, whenever I touch my scar, I remember the fire. It's so vivid sometimes that I can feel my skin burning." You shiver a bit, and Mark nods, much less cheerful now. "I'm very sorry to hear that, $name. Has anything happened in your life recently that could have triggered this change?" You shake your head, your life isn't really all that exciting. "Hm. When did this spike in episodes first start?" Thinking back, the last time you can remember them being this bad was exactly one year ago; your twenty-fourth birthday. "My birthday last year." Mark hums curiously and writes something down, before setting down his notebook and holding out his hands. "May I have your hands for a moment, $name?" You nod and he takes your hands in his, closing his eyes as he does so. You swear you can feel the energy in the room shift, but the sensation is gone almost as quickly as it appeared. Mark pulls away from you, a strange look on his face. He quickly writes down an address and gives it to you, standing up after doing so. [["Come here at midnight, there is someone I need you to meet."->Home]]

You are a twenty-five year old person, with <<cycle "$hairlength" autoselect>> <<option "long">> <<option "shoulder-length">> <<option "chin-length">> <<option "short">> <<option "buzzed">> <</cycle>> hair and <<cycle "$facialhair" autoselect>> <<option "no">> <<option "some">> <<option "thick">> <</cycle>> facial hair. You have <<cycle "$piercings" autoselect>> <<option "no">> <<option "a few">> <<option "many">> <</cycle>> facial piercings and a unique sense of style, not sticking to any particular genre and just wearing whatever you feel like, but you tend to dress <<cycle "$style" autoselect>> <<option "feminine">> <<option "masculine">> <<option "androgynous">> <</cycle>>. The receptionist hands your driver's license back and tells you to head on into your therapist's office. You started going to Mark for counseling a few months after the fire, and confided in him about your suspicions for what really happened. You would tell him things like how you thought the fire started, what that bright light was, and how the flames transferred from your sister to yourself, and he hadn't judged you once. You entered his office to find him sitting in an armchair that sat opposite a large couch, reading a book. He looked up at you and smiled, bright teeth and light green eyes contrasting beautifully with his dark skin. Mark was a good-looking guy, for sure, but you can't say you paid much attention to that fact after getting to know him. He was good at listening and advice, and he was reliable. That was all you needed. "So, $broname tells me you had another episode?" You plop yourself down on the couch, sighing heavily. "There's been a lot more lately. Now, whenever I touch my scar, I remember the fire. It's so vivid sometimes that I can feel my skin burning." You shiver a bit, and Mark nods, much less cheerful now. "I'm very sorry to hear that, $name. Has anything happened in your life recently that could have triggered this change?" You shake your head, your life isn't really all that exciting. "Hm. When did this spike in episodes first start?" Thinking back, the last time you can remember them being this bad was exactly one year ago; your twenty-fourth birthday. "My birthday last year." Mark hums curiously and writes something down, before setting down his notebook and holding out his hands. "May I have your hands for a moment, $name?" You nod and he takes your hands in his, closing his eyes as he does so. You swear you can feel the energy in the room shift, but the sensation is gone almost as quickly as it appeared. Mark pulls away from you, a strange look on his face. He quickly writes down an address and gives it to you, standing up after doing so. [["Come here at midnight, there is someone I need you to meet."->Home]]

You return to your home soon after that, tossing your jacket in the corner of the living room and falling on to the couch. Who did Mark want you to meet? What the hell was that whole hand holding thing? Before you can ask yourself any more questions, your best friend Celaine comes out of the kitchen with a cup of <<cycle "$drink" autoselect>> <<option "coffee">> <<option "tea">> <<option "hot chocolate">> <<option "water">> <</cycle>>, smiling at you. "Hey, babe." She says, setting your drink down on the coffee table. You had left $broname in charge while you left, so you weren't quite sure why she was there, but you were grateful for her company nonetheless. "$broname called me and told me what happened. I came over right away, I hope you don't mind." She said, practically reading your mind. She had gotten good at that, but it wasn't too surprising now. You've known her since you two were babies, it's not that hard to believe that she could read you as easily as she could. [[Thank her for coming->Celaine Nice]] [[Tell her to get out->Celaine Rude]] [[Wink. "I always love your company."->Celaine Flirty]]

"Thanks for coming, Laine, I don't like relying on my siblings for comfort." You half-joke, speaking softly yet genuinely. Celaine grins back at you, using her elbow to nudge your side. "Always, $name. You know you can count on me." She picks up your drink and hands it to you as you sit up, still grinning like an idiot. She was always a cheerful person, taking wharever life throws at her in stride. Celaine's always been the most trustworthy person you know. You think about telling her about what Mark said. [[Tell her, she deserves to know.->Tell Celaine]] [[Tell her, she'll find out soon enough.->Tell Celaine]] [[Don't tell her, you don't want to worry her.->Don't Tell Celaine]] [[Don't tell her, you don't trust her.->Don't Tell Celaine]]

"Get out of my house, Laine." You mumble into the couch, glaring at her in your mind. Celaine laughs, undeterred by your attitude, and ruffles your hair. "Good to see you haven't changed since I last saw you." She picks up your drink and hands it to you as you sit up, still grinning like an idiot. She was always a cheerful person, taking wharever life throws at her in stride. Celaine's always been the most trustworthy person you know. You think about telling her about what Mark said. [[Tell her, she deserves to know.->Tell Celaine]] [[Tell her, she'll find out soon enough.->Tell Celaine]] [[Don't tell her, you don't want to worry her.->Don't Tell Celaine]] [[Don't tell her, you don't trust her.->Don't Tell Celaine]]

"So, uh, Celaine?" She turns to you, tilting her head to the side curiously. "Yeah?" You hold on to your drink, taking a sip as you stare off into space, trying to think of how to tell her. "Mark seems to know something about my episodes. He gave me this address." You hold out the piece of paper and Celaine takes it, reading it as you continue to speak. "He told me to go there at midnight tonight because he wants me to meet someone, but I'm not sure if I should. I mean, what if he tries to murder me or something?" Celaine gives you back the scrap of paper, resting a hand on your shoulder and smiling comfortingly. "Hey, babe, don't worry. You've known Mark for seven years, if he wanted to kill you, he would've done it already." She jokes, but it doesn't calm you down. Her face drops and she apologizes. "Sorry, just trying to cheer you up. If it would make you feel better, I could come with you?" This choice will affect your future interactions with other characters, so choose wisely! [[Take Celaine with you->Talking with Celaine]] [[Tell her to stay home->Meeting with Mark w/o Celaine]]

You shake your head to yourself. You don't think you should tell your friend about this. You barely understand it yourself, no need to bring her into it. Celaine stays at your house and you two hang out until around 10:00PM, and, before you know it, it's [[midnight->Meeting with Mark w/o Celaine]].

You wink at her, propping yourself up so you can see her face. "You know I would never mind, babe. I love your company." Celaine rolls her eyes, despite the newfound flush of her face, and nudges you with her elbow. "Oh, $name. Never change." She picks up your drink and hands it to you as you sit up, still grinning like an idiot. She was always a cheerful person, taking wharever life throws at her in stride. Celaine's always been the most trustworthy person you know. You think about telling her about what Mark said. [[Tell her, she deserves to know.->Tell Celaine]] [[Tell her, she'll find out soon enough.->Tell Celaine]] [[Don't tell her, you don't want to worry her.->Don't Tell Celaine]] [[Don't tell her, you don't trust her.->Don't Tell Celaine]]

As midnight approached, you sat with Celaine on your couch as she looked up the address Mark gave you. Suddenly, she made a noise of surprise. "What is it?" You asked, looking over her shoulder. "He wants to meet you at some super run-down closed hotel. Jeez, now I'm glad you're letting me come with, I would've been worried sick." You looked at an image of the location, cringing in disgust. "That looks condemned." Celaine laughs softly. "It probably is." You looked away from her and the picture, standing up to take your plate to the kitchen. The two of you tried to make dinner together to pass the time, but Celaine ended up just ordering a pizza. You still ate on plates, though, to keep up the illusion of a homemade meal. "I thought you said Mark was, like, super sophisticated. Why would he even know about this place? I mean, he even memorized the address!" You shrugged, despite her not being able to see you, and dropped your plate in the sink. "I don't know, honestly." She said as she walked into the kitchen, following you. Celaine opened your fridge and grabbed a cheese stick, taking a bite of it before continuing to speak. "Neither do I, but if he knows something, I have to figure out what it is. These episodes are getting worse, Celaine, they happen almost every day now. I can't keep living like this." She nodded at you and walked over, giving you a quick side-hug. "I know, babe. Don't worry, we'll find out what's going on." "Yeah, [[thanks->Mark+Celaine]]."

You stood outside the run-down hotel, waiting for Mark and checking the time every so often. At one point, you looked down at your watch to see the time at exactly midnight, and looked up to see Mark standing in front of you. You jumped, surprised at how quickly and quietly he appeared. "Jeez, Mark, you scared me." He gave you an apologetic look and bit his lip. "Sorry, $name, I had no intention of scaring you." Mark took a key out of his pocket. He lead the two of you to the front door of the hotel, inserting the key into the door and unlocking it before leading your duo into the lobby. He stood in silence for a short amount of time, before he turned to a light switch. "I'm going to warn you, though, Antonio isn't too fond of visitors. It took me a while to convince him to let you come." Mark flipped on the lights and, once the darkness cleared, revealed the trashed lobby. Ignoring the mess, he made his way over to the elevator and knocked on it three times, two short and one long, and the doors opened immediately after he finished. A tall and lanky man with buzzed blonde hair and a serious expression pulled you both into the elevator and pressed the button for the basement, staying silent all the while. "Good evening, Antonio." Mark spoke pleasantly, despite the hostile demeanor of the other male. Antonio hummed and nodded, keeping his arms crossed. You could see his hands covered with gloves underneath the large sleeves of his [[sweatshirt->Antonio B]].

The two of you stood outside the run-down hotel, waiting for Mark and checking the time every so often. At one point, you looked down at your watch to see the time at exactly midnight, and looked up to see Mark standing in front of you two. You jumped, surprised at how quickly and quietly he appeared, but Celaine seemed unaffected. Mark turned to your best friend, and her freckled face made it's way into a smile. "Who is this, $name?" You took Celaine's arm, smiling awkwardly. "This is Celaine Schafer, my friend." She smirked and moved her arm from your grasp. "//Best// Friend, actually." Mark shakes her hand. "I've heard a lot about you, Ms. Shafer. I must say, though, $name, I assumed you would come alone." You shrugged, shoving your hands in the pockets of your jacket. "I told Celaine about what you said, and she insisted on coming to keep me safe." Mark nodded and took a key out of his pocket. He lead the two of you to the front door of the hotel, inserting the key into the door and unlocking it before leading your duo into the lobby. He stood in silence for a short amount of time, before he turned to a light switch. "I'm going to warn you, though, Antonio isn't too fond of visitors. It took me a while to convince him to let you come, so I don't think he will be happy to see your friend here." Mark flipped on the lights and, once the darkness cleared, revealed the trashed lobby. Ignoring the mess, he made his way over to the elevator and knocked on it three times, two short and one long, and the doors opened immediately after he finished. A tall and lanky man with buzzed blonde hair and a serious expression pulled the trio into the elevator and pressed the button for the basement, staying silent all the while. "Good evening, Antonio." Mark spoke pleasantly, despite the hostile demeanor of the other male. Antonio hummed and nodded, keeping his arms crossed. You could see his hands covered with gloves underneath the large sleeves of his sweatshirt, and apparently Celaine did too, because she brought them up. "Hey, what's up with your hands?" You smacked her in the shoulder for asking such a rude question, and Antonio glared at her, leaning over to Mark and whispering something in his ear. When he pulled back and turned away from them again, you gave your friend the same look she got from the blonde man. "Laine, what the hell?" She held up her hands in a defensive manner. "Hey, I was just [[asking->Antonio A]]!"

As the elevator arrived at the basement, Antonio was the first to step out. He sarcastically waved an arm over the makeshift apartment they saw upon entering. "Bienvenidos a mi casa, a todos. Tan feliz de tenerte aquí..." He muttered sarcastically in Spanish. Mark clearly could register what he said, but Celaine seemed lost. She didn't know any languages besides English, that you were positive of. You, on the other hand, <<cycle "$spanishfluency" autoselect>> <<option "understood him perfectly. You were fluent in Spanish.">> <<option "could understand him fine. Your Spanish wasn't perfect, but it was okay.">> <<option "kind of understood him. You forgot most of the Spanish you learned.">> <<option "were entirely lost.">> <</cycle>> He sat cross-legged on a small rug in the middle of the room that had a candle in the middle of it, and made eye contact with you. "Sit down." He practically commanded, pointing to the space in front of him. You felt compelled to move, and plopped down across from him as he lit the candle. Antonio looked to Mark and Celaine. "I need you two to be entirely silent, or your friend here isn't going to have a very fun time with this." He said coldly as he slipped off his gloves. Lightning-like scars littered his hands as he held them out in a similar fashion to how Mark had earlier. As you took hold of his hands, you could feel heat course through your veins. The feeling was almost hot enough to hurt, but it somehow didn't. The candle in front of you flickered as Antonio kept his eyes squeezed shut, face twisted in concentration. Just about everything in the room but the furniture and people lifted in the air, nicknacks flying about and papers floating. You could see Celaine's hair begin to defy gravity as well, but your vision was quickly obstructed by a white [[light->Vision A]].

//You sat in your burning home again, just as you had that night. Your sister lay in your arms, crying, as you kneeled on the ground. The flash of light from before returned, but it appeared that, this time, there was a form occupying it. The form of a tall, thin person. The image in front of you froze, your sister going silent and the flames around you stopping their flickering. The light, however, continued to pulse, as if it was the heart of a large animal. You reached out to touch it, and it disappeared, the image of a feminine humanoid creature appearing in your line of sight for a few moments. Then it was all gone. You felt yourself being shaken, as if being woken up. You looked around, yet saw nobody near. It was when you heard them calling your name that your physical eyes opened again, seeing the person standing above you.// Who woke you up? [[Mark->Mark Awaken]] [[Celaine->Celaine Awaken]] [[Antonio->Antonio Awaken]]

"$name?" Mark's soft voice woke you from your stupor, and you found yourself still sitting in the same position you had been before. The only difference was the absence of Antonio's hands from yours, as he now sat across from you with a grave expression on his face. "What the hell just happened?" Celaine asked him, curious but clearly angry at him for possibly putting you in danger. He paid her question no mind and raised his head to look at you. Seeing the almost terrified look on his face made you flinch, and you felt Mark's hand holding you by the small of your back. Upon seeing that you could move and stay upright on your own, he removed his hand. You swore you could see a hint of a flush on his face as he did so, but Mark turned away from you too quickly for you to be sure. "I need you to tell me something, and I need you to be entirely honest with me." Antonio spoke quietly, yet eerily calmly, maintaning eye contact with you. "Was your mother Dr. Marianna $lastname?" [[Lie->Lie (C route)]] [[Tell the truth->Truth (C route)]]

"$name?" Celaine's voice woke you from your stupor, and you found yourself still sitting in the same position you had been before. The only difference was the absence of Antonio's hands from yours, as he now sat across from you with a grave expression on his face. "What the hell did you do?" Celaine asked him incredulously, clearly angry at him for possibly putting you in danger. He paid her question no mind and raised his head to look at you. Seeing the almost terrified look on his face made you flinch, and you felt Celaine's hand holding your upper arm. She didn't let go as you moved, but her grip loosened and she smirked at you, a hint of fear in her smile. "I need you to tell me something, and I need you to be entirely honest with me." Antonio spoke quietly, yet eerily calmly, maintaning eye contact with you. "Was your mother Dr. Marianna $lastname?" [[Lie->Lie (C route)]] [[Tell the truth->Truth (C route)]]

"$name. Wake up." Antonio's gravelly voice woke you from your stupor, and you found yourself still sitting in the same position you had been before. The only difference was the absence of Antonio's hands from yours, as he now sat right in front of you with a grave expression on his face. "What the hell just happened?" Celaine asked him, curious but clearly angry at him for possibly putting you in danger. He paid her question no mind and kept his eyes on you. Seeing the almost terrified look on his face made you attempt to move back, and you felt his still uncovered hands holding you by the shoulders. He seemed to realize that he was still keeping you up, but didn't remove his hold. His hands were rough, and you could feel every scar on them touch your skin. "I need you to tell me something, and I need you to be entirely honest with me." Antonio spoke quietly, yet eerily calmly, maintaning eye contact with you. "Was your mother Dr. Marianna $lastname?" [[Lie->Lie (C route)]] [[Tell the truth->Truth (C route)]]

"No." You say. How exactly did this guy know your mom's name, anyway? Antonio, however, saw right through your lie and narrowed his eyes at you as he began putting his gloves back on again. "I told you to be honest, $name." "Your mother made a deal with the devil." Everyone in your group but Antonio whirled around to face the new arrival, a girl with dark, curly hair and who was in what looked like pajamas. "Huh?" You asked. What exactly did she mean by that? She sighed, sitting herself down next to Antonio. "She died before she could repay her debt to him. Now, he's trying to get his dues from you." [[Next->Nadia C]]

"Yeah, um, how did you know?" You asked, getting exeedingly uncomfortable with the situation. Did he know your mother somehow? If he did, how would they have even met? Antonio didn't look much older than you, and you were eighteen when she died. It didn't seem likely that she knew someone your age who you had never met before. Especially not well enough for him to know her first name. "Your mother made a deal with the devil." Everyone in your group but Antonio whirled around to face the new arrival, a girl with dark, curly hair and who was in what looked like pajamas. "Huh?" You asked. What exactly did she mean by that? She sighed, sitting herself down next to Antonio. "She died before she could repay her debt to him. Now, he's trying to get his dues from you." [[Next->Nadia C]]

As the elevator arrived at the basement, Antonio was the first to step out. He sarcastically waved an arm over the makeshift apartment they saw upon entering. "Bienvenidos a mi casa, a todos. Estoy tan feliz de tenerlos aquí..." He muttered sarcastically in Spanish. Mark clearly could register what he said. You, on the other hand, <<cycle "$spanishfluency" autoselect>> <<option "understood him perfectly. You were fluent in Spanish.">> <<option "could understand him fine. Your Spanish wasn't perfect, but it was okay.">> <<option "kind of understood him. You forgot most of the Spanish you learned.">> <<option "were entirely lost.">> <</cycle>> He sat cross-legged on a small rug in the middle of the room that had a candle in the middle of it, and made eye contact with you. "Sit down." He practically commanded, pointing to the space in front of him. You felt compelled to move, and plopped down across from him as he lit the candle. Antonio looked to Mark. "I need you two to be entirely silent, or your friend here isn't going to have a very fun time with this." He said coldly as he slipped off his gloves. Lightning-like scars littered his hands as he held them out in a similar fashion to how Mark had earlier. As you took hold of his hands, you could feel heat course through your veins. The feeling was almost hot enough to hurt, but it somehow didn't. The candle in front of you flickered as Antonio kept his eyes squeezed shut, face twisted in concentration. Just about everything in the room but the furniture and people lifted in the air, nicknacks flying about and papers floating. You could see a small object making it's way over to Mark and hitting him on the head, but your vision was quickly obstructed by a white [[light->Vision B]].

"$name?" Mark's soft voice woke you from your stupor, and you found yourself still sitting in the same position you had been before. The only difference was the absence of Antonio's hands from yours, as he now sat across from you with a grave expression on his face. "What just happened?" You asked softly. He paid your question no mind and raised his head to look at you. Seeing the almost terrified look on his face made you flinch, and you felt Mark's hand holding you by the small of your back. Upon seeing that you could move and stay upright on your own, he removed his hand. You swore you could see a hint of a flush on his face as he did so, but Mark turned away from you too quickly for you to be sure. "I need you to tell me something, and I need you to be entirely honest with me." Antonio spoke quietly, yet eerily calmly, maintaning eye contact with you. "Was your mother Dr. Marianna $lastname?" [[Lie->Lie (Normal Route)]] [[Tell the truth->Truth (Normal Route)]]

"$name. Wake up." Antonio's gravelly voice woke you from your stupor, and you found yourself still sitting in the same position you had been before. The only difference was the absence of Antonio's hands from yours, as he now sat right in front of you with a grave expression on his face. "What just happened?" You asked him, worried. Had he put you in danger? He paid your question no mind and kept his eyes on you. Seeing the almost terrified look on his face made you attempt to move back, and you felt his still uncovered hands holding you by the shoulders. He seemed to realize that he was still keeping you up, but didn't remove his hold. His hands were rough, and you could feel every scar on them touch your skin. "I need you to tell me something, and I need you to be entirely honest with me." Antonio spoke quietly, yet eerily calmly, maintaning eye contact with you. "Was your mother Dr. Marianna $lastname?" [[Lie->Lie (Normal Route)]] [[Tell the truth->Truth (Normal Route)]]

"Essentially, yes." Antonio said, massaging his temples. The new arrival patted his shoulder, smiling comfortingly. "Hey, don't worry. We've dealt with worse." He raises a questioning eyebrow at her but doesn't respond, standing up and walking over to a bookshelf, apparently looking for something specific. As the girl turned back to you and held out a hand for you to shake, you couldn't help but notice... [[How beautiful she was.->Oh No Shes Hot]] [[How out of place she seemed in this environment.->Protect Nadia Pls]]

"Essentially, yes." Antonio said, massaging his temples. The new arrival patted his shoulder, smiling comfortingly. "Hey, don't worry. We've dealt with worse." He raises a questioning eyebrow at her but doesn't respond, standing up and walking over to a bookshelf, apparently looking for something specific. As the girl turned back to you and held out a hand for you to shake, you couldn't help but notice... [[How beautiful she was.->Oh No Shes Hot C]] [[How out of place she seemed in this environment.->Protect Nadia Pls C]]

Her smile brightened up her entire face as she introduced herself, and her curls bounced delicately with every movement she made. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Nadia Moon." She grinned even wider when you shook her hand, and you could hear Antonio sigh in exhasperation as she cheerfully spoke to Mark. "You're not taking this seriously, Nadia." He said, looking at her through the corner of narrowed eyes. She turned to him, an almost offended look on her soft features. "Yes, I am! Just because you never take the time to get to know the people we help doesn't mean I don't either!" He shook his head at her, pulling a book off the shelf and walking back over to you all. You hadn't noticed before, but he moved very gracefully. It was almost like he was half present in the world, simply floating instead of walking. [[Next->Exposition N]]

She was clearly much happier in general than Antonio and seemed to be less disturbed by the news she just gave you than he was. She didn't seem like she belonged in this run-down place. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Nadia Moon." She grinned even wider when you shook her hand, and you could hear Antonio sigh in exhasperation as she cheerfully spoke to Mark. "You're not taking this seriously, Nadia." He said, looking at her through the corner of narrowed eyes. She turned to him, an almost offended look on her soft features. "Yes, I am! Just because you never take the time to get to know the people we help doesn't mean I don't either!" He shook his head at her, pulling a book off the shelf and walking back over to you all. You hadn't noticed before, but he moved very gracefully. It was almost like he was half present in the world, simply floating instead of walking. [[Next->Exposition N]]

Antonio sat next to Nadia again, gesturing for Mark to join you three. As he sat next to you, Mark placed a comforting hand on your shoulder, refraining from speaking. The blonde man flipped open the book that looked as if it would crumble at the slightest touch and placed it between the four of you, pointing at a certain paragraph. "In the event of the expiry of the dealmaker, the responsibility of repaying their debt will go to their oldest living relative, preferrably their child." He read out loud solemnly, raising his eyes to look back up at you. "In this case, that would be you." The weight of the situation came crashing down on you, and you shuddered as you let out a shaky breath. Mark spoke comforting words to you, but they fell on deaf ears. After a few minutes, you calmed down, and felt a soft hand stroking your back in comforting circles. You looked up to see Nadia with a concerned look on her face, her being the one physically comforting you, and Antonio with one of understanding. [[Next->The Plan]]

After checking that you were alright, Antonio spoke up again. "Nadia and I will need to do some more research before we can properly form a plan to keep you safe. In the meantime, though, I reccommend you lay low. Don't go around causing trouble, it'll only give you more chances to get hurt." He stands up and offers you a hand, helping you up and guiding you and Mark to the elevator. "As of now, there isn't a lot we can do, I'm sorry." "Ah, don't worry, we'll figure out what he wants and then you'll be good to go!" Nadia's positive attitude filled you with a comforting warmth despite your situation, and you allowed Mark to walk with you outside the building. He wrote something down on a Post-It note he had in his pocket, and handed it to you. "Here you go, $name." The note listed two phone numbers, labeled Garrido and Moon. "Nadia and Antonio's phone numbers. Call them or me if you need anything at all." "Thanks, Mark." [[Next->Can't Sleep]]

Hours later, at around three in the morning, you lay awake in your bed. You had been trying to fall asleep ever since getting home and collapsing in your bed, but the thoughts swirling in your head kept you awake. You wanted to do something to get your mind off your situation, but your siblings were both asleep and you didn't know what would be open right now. You thought of calling someone. Who do you call? [[Mark->Call Mark]] [[Celaine->Call Celaine]] [[Antonio->Call Antonio]] [[Nadia->Call Nadia]] [[Nobody->Try to sleep]]

You dialed Mark's number, which had already been saved in your phone, and was surprised when he picked up in just a few rings. You had expected him to be asleep by now. "Yes?" He answered. You couldn't hear any exhaustion in his voice, which surprised you. He sounded like you had been calling him in the middle of the day. "I can't get to sleep, I keep thinking about what happened tonight." Mark hummed in agreement, and you could almost hear him nodding over the phone. "Neither can I, to be honest, would you like to meet up?" He asked you. "Sometimes, the best thing you can do is give yourself a distraction." [[Say Yes->Mark Hanging Out]] [[Say No->Try to sleep]]

You clicked on Celaine's contact, which was saved in your favorites, but she didn't pick up the phone. After another try, she answered on the last ring. "Hello?" She asked, the exhaustion prevalent in her voice. You could tell you just woke her up. "Hey, Cel, I'm sorry for waking you up, but I can't sleep at all. I keep worrying." She gives you a quick declaration of sympathy before vocalizing her suggestion. "We could hang out, if you want. I know good places to go to get your mind off it." [[Say Yes->Celaine Hanging Out]] [[Say No->Try to sleep]]

Antonio answered the phone on the first ring, with a speed that made it seem like he had been waiting for someone to call him, and spoke with a quick and serious tone. "Yes?" He asked. He didn't sound tired at all, despite the hour. "I can't sleep, I keep worrying about what happened tonight, and my first thought was to call you." You could hear him sigh on the other end, while out of concern or exhasperation, however, you couldn't tell. "Would meeting up help you keep your mind off it? A good night's sleep is important for your health." [[Say Yes->Antonio Hanging Out]] [[Say No->Try to sleep]]

Nadia picked up only a few rings after you first called her, answering in a cheerful yet toned-down voice. "Hey, you good?" She asked. From the way she spoke, you assumed she already had your phone number saved. "I can't sleep, I keep worrying about this whole situation." You could hear her shuffling around in what sounded like her kitchen and her mouth was somewhat full when she spoke again. "Why don't you come over? I can help take your mind off it!" You heard Antonio in the background scolding her for talking with her mouth full, but ignored him. [[Say Yes->Nadia Hanging Out]] [[Say No->Try to sleep]]

You shook your head to yourself, you didn't want to bother anyone. Besides, you doubted they could help. You drifted off sometime aroung 5:00 AM, but slept restlessly. [[Next->The Call]]

Mark picked you up from your home about fifteen minutes afterward, claiming that he also couldn't sleep. You drove in comfortable silence until you reached what looked like just a grassy field. "Why are we here?" You asked, and Mark smiled at you, seeming more excited than usual. "You'll see." He said cryptically. He opened the car door for you, a gesture which you were confused by, considering you didn't know a lot of people who did that, but still grateful for. He lead you to the midst of the field and laid down, giving you a look that seemed to invite you to lay next to him. As you did so, he pointed to the sky. "Stargazing." He simply said, the light of the stars shining down on his face. "It's one of the most relaxing activitites I know of. It also helps me to forget my troubles. Stargazing reminds me how small some of my issues are compared to the universe and the things inhabiting it, and it helps me calm down." You stared up at the sky, smiling softly. "They're beautiful, too." Mark nodded, and you could see him sneak a peek at your smiling face and mirror your expression before looking back. "I agree, they are quite radiant, aren't they?" [[Next->Cute Stargazing]]

Celaine met you in a park with a tub of ice cream and two plastic spoons, smirking at you. "Ice cream?" She asked, holding it out for you to take. Picking up the tub, you sat next to her on a bench. "You recognize this place?" She asked as you took a spoonful of the sweet treat. Tilting your head in confusion, you answered her. "Not really, should I?" Celaine rolled her eyes and nudged you with her shoulder. "Yeah, you should, this is the place your whole life got ten times better." She joked. "Where we met, remember?" The memory came back to you all at once and you could almost see yourself as a little kid, running around and chasing a butterfly when you ran into a little blonde girl with pigtails. Back then, Celaine was incredibly shy. It took all the way until high school for her to become who she was now. She had apologized profusely for running into you, and making you lose your butterfly, but you reassured her. Celaine told you later on in your friendship that it had meant a lot to her back then that you forgave her. Of course, it wasn't that big of a deal, but she was always known as a very emotional kid. [[Next->Memories]]

Antonio sat on a bench outside of the coffee shop he instructed you to meet him at, casually scrolling through his phone as if it wasn't around three in the morning. As you walked up, he handed you a cup from the shop you hadn't even noticed he was holding, and looked up at you. You could see the beginning of a smile on his face, but it kept its neutral position. "Here." He said. You shook your head, refusing the drink. "I think coffee is the last thing I need right now." He sighed and stood up, putting his phone in his pocket. Jeez, you forgot how tall he was. "It's valerian root tea. It's supposed to help you sleep." You <<cycle "$teastatus" autoselect>> <<option "took it gratefully, giving him a smile">> <<option "took it hesitantly, he might've poisoned it or something">> <<option "didn't take it, though you appreciated the gesture">> <<option "didn't take it, you didn't trust him">> <</cycle>>. Soon enough, he had lead you to a small lake and sat down on the dock. The tide was low, and his feet didn't even reach the water, but he gestured for you to sit with him. You did, looking out at the reflection of the moon on the water. [[Next->Deep Conversation Omg]]

You soon arrived back at the hotel, with Nadia waiting for you at the door. She pulled you inside, smiling brightly. "Don't worry, okay, $name? I'll help keep your mind off all this." She brought you into the elevator that took you into the basement you had been in earlier, and used it to go to the second highest floor of the hotel. The elevator opened straight into a huge suite, and Nadia grinned while dragging you into it, gesturing around the room. "I've sort of claimed this room for myself. Tonio likes to sleep in the basement, for some reason, so I pretty much got my pick." The room seemed much better taken-care of than the rest of the hotel, despite the small mess. It seemed like Nadia all but lived there. There was a large bed near the wall that she swore felt like sleeping on a cloud, a theory you quickly tested. Nadia may have been exaggerating a little bit, but it was still a comfortable bed. Miscellanious clothes lay scattered on the floor, despite the closet in the corner of the room. She claimed that she knew where everything was, and that the mess made it look more homely, but you had a feeling she was just trying to excuse her not cleaning it up before you arrived. [[Next->Video Games]]

Nadia invited you to sit on her bed while she ran downstairs to get something, and you found yourself staring at the pattern of the blanket that occupied the cushion of an armchair in the corner. The blanket looked handmade, and you wondered where she got it. Did she make it herself, or buy it from some kind of thrift store? Maybe someone made it for her? You made a mental note to ask her when she returned. Just as you were thinking of it, the elevator beeped to signal her arrival. You looked over to see her holding a video game console and a box of cookies, bouncing excitedly on her heels. She plugged the console into the TV in front of you and tossed you a controller before hopping on the bed herself. "Playing games always helps me calm down after a bad day." Nadia smiled sweetly at you before switching on the TV and opening the box of cookies. After about an hour of playing the games, you felt your eyes growing tired. Her plan worked, but a bit too well. You didn't at all feel like driving home. Seemingly reading your mind, Nadia turned off the game and patted your head. "You can stay overnight, if you want. I'd love some company." [[Agree->Sleepover Nadia]] [[Decline->Go Back Home]]

You smiled back at her wearily. "Thanks, Nadia." She waved off your gratitude with a nonchalont motion, all but rolling off the bed. "Don't worry about it! There's tons of rooms here, so I'm sure I can find somewhere to sleep for tonight." You raised an eyebrow. What did she mean? Suddenly, you realized she probably intended for you to sleep in her bed for the night. "Oh, no, don't worry! I wouldn't want to take your room-" Nadia cut you off with a soft giggle, shaking her head, now messy curls bouncing as if they were laughing with her. "Trust me, I really don't care. Besides, I know this place better than you do, and I don't want you getting lost. I can find another spot to sleep for one night." The way she looked at you made you reluctant to her generous offer, and her bed was really comfortable. Later on, after you had accepted the offer, Nadia had given you one of her old shirts to wear, claiming your clothes "weren't good for sleeping" as she did so. You found yourself smiling softly as you drifted off to sleep that night, and you couldn't help but think that it would be nice to do it more often. [[Next->Nadia Wake Up]]

Declining the offer, you decided to just head home and go to bed. After you arrived at your house and got to your bedroom, you all but collapsed right when your head hit the pillow. God, you were exhausted. [[Next->The Call]]

The two of you sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, before Antonio broke it by speaking. "I used to come here with my sister, Ramona, when we were younger, and it always helped me feel better after something bad happened. I, uh, figured you would like it." His composure momentarily faltered with his last sentence, as he stared down at the water. You tossed a stone into the lake, causing ripples to alter his reflection. "It's helping, thanks." He nodded silently. Antonio's cold demeanor returned after he shook himself out of whatever trance-like state he was in and sat up straight again. "Mamá used to freak out on us when we did, though. She was scared we'd fall in." You laughed a little at that, and pulled your legs off the edge of the dock, crossing them. The two of you continued to make meaningless conversation for a while, you didn't know how long, until you felt your eyelids getting heavier. Apparently Antonio noticed this, because, avoiding your eyes by looking back at his phone, he spoke again. "You can sleep at the hotel tonight, if you'd like. I don't think Nadia would mind, she loves you so far. Besides, it's kind of late to go home by yourself." [[Agree->Sleepover Antonio]] [[Decline->Go Back Home]]

Antonio walked you to the hotel, and took you to the basement where you had met him and Nadia. Said girl was sprawled across the couch, watching some kids' cartoon, and gave you two a little smirk when you walked in together. "Finally bringing someone home, are we, Nio?" You almost missed the way his face flushed as he smacked her on the head, scolding her for teasing you two. Antonio insisted on having you sleep in his bed while he slept on the couch in the makeshift living room, despite your argument, and his bedroom was just like one would expect from someone like him. It was clean, but he clearly didn't do a lot of decorating, it was almost completely bare besides the necessities. After he left the room to allow you to sleep, you could hear his muffled voice talking to Nadia. You couldn't catch any of the words, but you could tell they were talking about you, based on Nadia's teasing tone. Laughing softly to yourself, you let their voices lull you to sleep. [[Next->Antonio Wake Up]]

Her smile brightened up her entire face as she introduced herself, and her curls bounced delicately with every movement she made. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Nadia Moon." She grinned even wider when you shook her hand, and you could hear Antonio sigh in exhasperation as she cheerfully spoke to Celaine. "You're not taking this seriously, Nadia." He said, looking at her through the corner of narrowed eyes. She turned to him, an almost offended look on her soft features. "Yes, I am! Just because you never take the time to get to know the people we help doesn't mean I don't either!" He shook his head at her, pulling a book off the shelf and walking back over to you all. You hadn't noticed before, but he moved very gracefully. It was almost like he was half present in the world, simply floating instead of walking. [[Next->Exposition C]]

She was clearly much happier in general than Antonio and seemed to be less disturbed by the news she just gave you than he was. She didn't seem like she belonged in this run-down place. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Nadia Moon." She grinned even wider when you shook her hand, and you could hear Antonio sigh in exhasperation as she cheerfully spoke to Celaine. "You're not taking this seriously, Nadia." He said, looking at her through the corner of narrowed eyes. She turned to him, an almost offended look on her soft features. "Yes, I am! Just because you never take the time to get to know the people we help doesn't mean I don't either!" He shook his head at her, pulling a book off the shelf and walking back over to you all. You hadn't noticed before, but he moved very gracefully. It was almost like he was half present in the world, simply floating instead of walking. [[Next->Exposition C]]

Antonio sat next to Nadia again, gesturing for Mark and Celaine to join you three. As he sat next to you, Mark placed a comforting hand on your shoulder, refraining from speaking. The blonde man flipped open the book that looked as if it would crumble at the slightest touch and placed it between the five of you, pointing at a certain paragraph. "In the event of the expiry of the dealmaker, the responsibility of repaying their debt will go to their oldest living relative, preferrably their child." He read out loud solemnly, raising his eyes to look back up at you. "In this case, that would be you." The weight of the situation came crashing down on you, and you shuddered as you let out a shaky breath. Celaine was yelling, saying Antonio was crazy for even insinuating that. Mark spoke comforting words to you both, but they fell on deaf ears. After a few minutes, you two calmed down, and you felt a soft hand stroking your back in comforting circles. You looked up to see Nadia with a concerned look on her face, her being the one physically comforting you, and Antonio with one of understanding. [[Next->The Plan]]

"We went here right after graduating, too. I had to practically beg you, though. We just had our own little party, I loved it." Celaine laughed softly, taking a scoop of ice cream for herself. "The only other person there was Morgan." She said, teasingly emphasizing the name. Morgan was the <<cycle "$morgangender" autoselect>> <<option "girl">> <<option "boy">> <<option "person">> <</cycle>> you had a crush on for about two years. Celaine liked to tease you because it took you months to get over it once you and Morgan fell out of touch. "Ha ha." You laughed sarcastically. "You're so funny." She shrugged and cracked her neck, a bad habit she had ever since middle school. You didn't know how she gained it, but somewhere down the line, you think she just gave up on stopping. "You love me, and you know it." She winked at you, clearly trying to get a reaction. It was hard not to be friends with Celaine, no matter how many times people told you to get a new best friend. She was always joking around, and her attitude helped you through some of the hardest times of your life. After you finished reminiscing, you could feel yourself getting tired. Letting out a yawn, you felt Celaine take the ice cream from you. "Spend the night at mine, babe, it's too late to go home by yourself." [[Agree->Sleepover Celaine]] [[Decline->Go Back Home]]

Celaine drove you to her house and haphasardly tossed her car keys in the little dish that rested by the doorway, calling out to her 19-year-old brother, who happened to live with her as a way to get away from their parents. "Hey, I'm home!" She yelled, not bothering to wait for a response as she knew he was still awake. Celaine brought you to her couch, that had a pull-out mattress, and ran upstairs to grab some blankets and pillows. You sat on the little bed as you waited for her and switched on the tv, aimlessly flipping through the channels until she came barreling down the stairs, a bundle of comforters and such. She flopped down on the bed, grinning at you. "Sleepover." She simply said, pulling you to lay down with her. You could tell she was tempted to hug you as she usually did when the two of you slept in the same bed, but stopped herself in order to not crush you with her excitement. You fell asleep soon after that, and kept asleep all night. [[Next->Celaine Wake Up]]

The two of you spent about an hour laying beneath the stars, exchanging stories and making meaningless conversation. Most wouldn't think so, but it was actually quite comforting to you. You couldn't tell if it was because he was your therapist, or because he was your friend. You caught Mark stealing glances at you more than once, but assumed he was just checking to make sure you were alright. You could feel yourself falling asleep soon enough, and sleepily half-laughed at one of his jokes. Mark could clearly sense your exhaustion, because he helped you sit up and gave you a sweet smile. "Would you like to sleep at my home tonight? It's closer to here than yours is. Of course, you're not obligated to. I'd be happy to drive you home." [[Agree->Sleepover Mark]] [[Decline->Go Back Home]]

Mark drove you back to his home and allowed you to sleep in the guest room of his home. He invited you to make yourself at home there, get food if you wanted or take a shower, but you decided to just head to bed instead. "I hope you sleep well." He said as he shut the door to the room, giving you a small smile. You let yourself go unconscious soon after. The room smelled like lavender, just like Mark did. [[Next->Mark Wake Up]]

You were awoken by Nadia shaking you, panic evident in her voice. "$name! Wake up!" She all but yelled. You shot up, looking at her with wide eyes. "What's going on?" "He's not working alone." "Huh?" You asked, only about half awake. "I thought we were going against the devil or something." You said. Why did this have to be so confusing? "We are, but he can't hurt you physically without working with someone else. Antonio says he can help us find out, but you need to get out of here before they find you!" "I'm not just gonna leave $broname and $sisname behind!" You argued. "We can't take them, too, $name! They're just kids." The look on Nadia's face was all but begging you to agree with her. She looked more terrified than you think you've ever seen someone look. [[Next->Argue N]]

Antonio shook you awake, fear displayed on his face despite him clearly trying to act calm. "What? What is it?" You asked. "He's not working alone." "Huh?" You asked, only about half awake. "I thought we were going against the devil or something." You said. Why did this have to be so confusing? "Well, yes, technically we are, but he can't do much to you physically as of now. That's why he's working with someone else, he wants to hurt you. I don't know who it is yet, but I know someone who can find out. We need to get you out of this town, anyway." You sat up straight, rubbing sleep from your eyes as fear washed over you. "Hold on, what about $broname and $sisname? They don't have anywhere to go!" You asked him. You weren't about to abandon your siblings for some guy you had just met to take you away from the town you grew up in. Sure, he was a friend of Mark's, but you still didn't know anything about him. [[Next->Argue A]]

You were awoken by the sound of your phone going off, your ringtone all but assaulting your ears. Checking the time, you saw that it was 2:00 PM. Jeez, you slept a long time. You answered the phone, your tired voice exhasperatedly greeting the person on the other line. "Yeah?" Antonio's voice rang out throughout the room, sounding just about as tired as you. "He's not working alone." "Huh?" You asked, only about half awake. "I thought we were going against the devil or something." You said. Why did this have to be so confusing? "Well, yes, technically we are, but he can't do much to you physically as of now. That's why he's working with someone else, he wants to hurt you. I don't know who it is yet, but I know someone who can find out. We need to get you out of this town, anyway." You sat up straight, rubbing sleep from your eyes as fear washed over you. "Hold on, what about $broname and $sisname? They don't have anywhere to go!" You asked him. You weren't about to abandon your siblings for some guy you had just met to take you away from the town you grew up in. Sure, he was a friend of Mark's, but you still didn't know anything about him. [[Next->Argue]]

You were awoken by the sound of your phone going off, your ringtone all but assaulting your ears. Checking the time, you saw that it was 2:00 PM. Jeez, you slept a long time. You answered the phone, your tired voice exhasperatedly greeting the person on the other line. "Yeah?" Antonio's voice rang out throughout the room, sounding just about as tired as you. "He's not working alone." "Huh?" You asked, only about half awake. "I thought we were going against the devil or something." You said. Why did this have to be so confusing? "Well, yes, technically we are, but he can't do much to you physically as of now. That's why he's working with someone else, he wants to hurt you. I don't know who it is yet, but I know someone who can find out. We need to get you out of this town, anyway." You sat up straight, rubbing sleep from your eyes as fear washed over you. Celaine, beside you and ever the deep sleeper, didn't even shift. "Hold on, what about $broname and $sisname? They don't have anywhere to go!" You asked him. You weren't about to abandon your siblings for some guy you had just met to take you away from the town you grew up in. Sure, he was a friend of Mark's, but you still didn't know anything about him. [[Next->Argue C]]

Lively music played within the building once you all entered, and Nadia immediately gravitated towards a group of people surrounding someone who was dancing, but Antonio held onto her arm, and you could see him trying to hide his face. "Nadia, come on." He whispered, ushering you all towards a door behind the bar. However, a melodic voice called out to you, and Antonio winced to himself. "¡Oye, Antonio, líchigo!" Even someone who didn't understand any Spanish could tell the woman was angry at him. She pushed through the crowd, dress flowing as she did so. She looked like a female version of Antonio, but with dark hair, rather than bleached blonde. They had the same nose, eyes, skin tone, face shape, and in general looked almost identical. It was obvious they were siblings. "¡Que aún me debes 100 billete, hermano!" She yelled at him, pointing accusingly at his chest and ignoring the rest of you. Mark snorted out of laughter, but covered it with a cough as Antonio glared at him. "Hermanita, por favor, no en público." He spoke quickly and quietly, as if he was afraid of this younger woman. [[Next->Sibling hostility]]

"I'm not leaving!" You said, stubbornly. You heard something crash in the background on Antonio's side, and Nadia' muffled voice saying something, but he didn't give you a response. "Hello?" You asked incredulously. First this guy suggests you leave everything behind, and now he just goes silent? What is up with him? "Fine, fine! I can't force you to go far away, but you need to go somewhere other than here. Everyone in this town knows everyone, so if the people this guy is working with find out what general area you live in, I'm sorry, but you're fucked. Leave your siblings with a friend and at least come to Azreles. The person who can help us lives there." He spoke with both annoyance and badly-concealed fear. Azreles was the closest big city to where you lived, and you had been there multiple times, but you still weren't sure. You stayed silent for a few moments, contemplating his offer. Maybe you could have Celaine's brother take care of your siblings while you were gone. You've known him for a while, and trust him enough. "Okay, fine, whatever!" [[Next->Road Trip]]

"I'm not leaving!" You said stubbornly, standing up to face Antonio. He shut his eyes in exhasperation as you did so, using his left hand to pinch the space between his eyes while the right stayed in his pocket. "Fine, fine! I can't force you to go far away, but you need to go somewhere other than here. Everyone in this town knows everyone, so if the people this guy is working with find out what general area you live in, I'm sorry, but you're fucked. Leave your siblings with a friend and at least come to Azreles. The person who can help us lives there." He spoke with both annoyance and badly-concealed fear. Azreles was the closest big city to where you lived, and you had been there multiple times, but you still weren't sure. You stayed silent for a few moments, contemplating his offer. Maybe you could have Celaine's brother take care of your siblings while you were gone. You've known him for a while, and trust him enough. "Okay, fine, whatever!" [[Next->Road Trip]]

"I'm not leaving!" You said, stubbornly. There was no way you were just going to abandon your siblings and your life like that. Nadia gave you a desperate look, and her eyes were so sad that it seemed as if she was about to cry. "Please, $name, just come to Azreles with us. You can't stay here, his cronies will find you eventually! They'll kill you the minute they see you." Azreles was the closest big city to where you lived, and you had been there multiple times, but you still weren't sure. You stayed silent for a few moments, contemplating her offer. Maybe you could have Celaine's brother take care of your siblings while you were gone. You've known him for a while, and trust him enough. "Okay, fine, whatever!" [[Next->Road Trip]]

As you, Celaine (who insisted on coming with you), and Mark met up with Nadia and Antonio in front of the hotel at 7:00 PM, you could see Antonio lifting a large bag into the trunk of the car in front of him, visibly relaxing after putting it down. Nadia spotted you and waved you over, her usual smile plastered on her face, however, looking more strained than it typically was. "I'm driving." Antonio said, still turned away from you, as if he could sense your presence. Nadia rolled her eyes a bit, turning to Celaine, who she had all but adopted as her new best friend. "I kept trying to convince him to let me do it, because I know where we're going, but he insisted. Said it was more efficient for him to do it because I'm a bad driver." She playfully glared at his back as she spoke, and he shook his head. "I can feel you glaring at me, Nadi." "Anyways, where do you want to sit? I'll let you pick first since you're our guest of honor or whatever. I'm calling shotgun if you don't want it, though." [[In the front, next to Antonio.->Driving A]] [[In the back, between Celaine and Mark.->Driving CM]]

"Ay, viejo." She muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. As she took in a deep breath, glaring at Antonio once more, she turned to Nadia. "Nadia, mi amiga! I missed you!" Her attitude changed almost instantly, going from hostile and angry to warm and welcoming as she gave Nadia a huge hug. Antonio rolled his eyes, but gestured to your group. "Ramona, this is-" "Mark Verlice, Celaine Shafer, and $name $lastname. I swear, viejo, you forget how much I hear." Giving her a sarcastic smile, he turned back to you. "This is my sister, she knows everything about everyone, so she's who I go to for help with these kinds of things. Reluctantly, but she's my only choice." Ramona waved off the backhanded compliment, grinning at her brother. "Oh, big brother, you flatter me!" Antonio rolled his eyes, but let himself be dragged by his sister into the door he was pushing you all to earlier. "So, who are we looking for? Missing family member? Psycho ex-boyfriend? Estranged child, maybe?" Ramona turned to grin at all of you before pulling a key out of a hidden pocket in her dress and using it to open a large filing cabinet. [[Next->Wowie what a woman]]

"We're looking for someone involved with the dark arts and Dr. Marianna $lastname." Antonio said bluntly, walking over to an armchair and sitting down as if this was entirely normal. Ramona turned to him and snapped her fingers, gesturing for him to stand back up. "Ah, ah, ah! I just had that cleaned!" She gave Antonio a severe look before he stood, moving to another chair with an expression similar to that of a scolded child. "There. Anyways, Antonito, that's not exactly narrowing it down very much." She pulled about twenty files out of the cabinet. "I mean, she was pretty active in that community, so I know plenty of people that fit that description." Celaine picked through the files, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "Jeez, how do you know all these guys?" Ramona smirked and flopped herself down on a cushioned chaise lounge. "I speak a little Spanish and those boys are all over me, chiquita." She said. "Besides that, though, nobody assumes a Latina can speak English. It's sad, but it's true. At least it works to my advantage sometimes, you'd be surprised what people say if they think nobody can hear them." Celaine's face flushed, if only slightly, when Ramona winked at her, and Antonio sighed again at his sister. "Ponte las pilas, Ramona! This is serious." The brunette groaned and slid off the chair. "Fine, take the damn files." She said, pushing them towards the blonde man. "But you better pay me back, líchigo!" Ramona yelled as Antonio took the files and lead you all out. [[Next->Ok done with ramona for forever ig]]

All of you walked out of the bar in tandem, Nadia holding some empanadas that the girls who worked at the establishment had treated her to. Apparently, according to Antonio, every time he came to see his sister, for one reason or another, he was expected to bring Nadia. The workers had adopted her as an honorary sister at this point. "In fact, I think they expect me to marry her or something, so she has an excuse to come back more often." Nadia coughed, choking on her food a little. After she finished with her bite, she let out a laugh. "Sorry, Nio, but if this is some roundabout way of proposing, I'm gonna have to say no." The man's face flushed as he hit her on the top of the head. "What? No, you're like a slightly less annoying version of my sister to me, that's disgusting. Stop taking everything I say out of context." He said, glaring at her. [[Next->Motel wowwowow]]

"I'll sit up front." You answered, laughing a little, despite your situation, when Nadia pouted at you. "Fine, but if I complain the whole ride and annoy the shit out of everyone, I'm letting you take all the fall for it." Her jokes helped cheer you up as everyone piled into the car, and, as Antonio drove, you noted the tension in his arms as he drove the vehicle. "You alright?" You asked him, despite knowing for a fact he probably was not. His hands tightened around the steering wheel, and it was now that you noticed he had put his gloves back on. In fact, most all of his body was covered. The only skin you could see was about half of his neck and his face. You weren't sure why he dressed that way, but didn't question it. "I..." He started, looking at you with an expression you could have sworn portrayed some concern and sadness as his dark eyes softened, but the look was gone almost as soon as you saw it, and he turned away from you. "I deal with things like this on a daily basis." He told you, clearly avoiding the question. "So, Nio, are you excited to see her?" Nadia asked from the back seat. "No. Not one bit." [[Next->Woo almost Ramona time]]

"I'll sit in the back, between Laine and Mark." You answered, laughing a little, despite your situation, when Nadia did a sort of celebratory dance. "Yes! Thank you! I'd hate to be stuck back there." Upon realizing what she said, Nadia grinned semi-apologetically at Celaine and Mark. "No offense to you guys, but I hate the back seat." Her jokes helped cheer you up as everyone piled into the car, and, as Antonio drove, you noted the tension in his arms as he steered the vehicle. "You alright?" You asked him, despite knowing for a fact he probably was not. His hands tightened around the steering wheel, and it was now that you noticed he had put his gloves back on. In fact, most all of his body was covered. The only skin you could see was about half of his neck and his face. You weren't sure why he dressed that way, but didn't question it. "I..." He started after reaching a stoplight, glancing back at you with an expression you could have sworn portrayed some concern and sadness as his dark eyes softened, but the look was gone almost as soon as you saw it, and he turned away from you. "I deal with things like this on a daily basis." He told you, clearly avoiding the question. "So, Nio, are you excited to see her?" Nadia asked from up front. "No. Not one bit." [[Next->Woo almost Ramona time]]

The five of you reached your destination about half an hour later, a bar and restauraunt titled "La Cocina de Ysabel". You could hear loud music eminating from the establishment even from outside, and your group saw the door fly open, flooding the sidewalk in front of it with light as a giggly couple emerged from the building. The two were leaning against one another for support as they stumbled around, and, soon enough, one of the women fell face-first into the ground. "Well, this seems like a fun place." Celaine said, the smirk she wore obvious through the tone of her voice. "I bet I'll love it here." Antonio crossed his arms, sighing and looking at the door. "Yeah, just you wait until you meet the workers." He said sarcastically. You wondered how he knew anyone here. Sure, it wasn't too far from your town and he did know a lot of people, but you can't imagine a lot of people who are helpful in the demon or monster-hunting business work at Colombian bars. [[Next->Ramona]]

The five of you arrived at a small motel well into the night, and purchased one room for the evening. You and Celaine had both not thought of bringing money, and Antonio simply didn't want to pay because it was his car you all were driving around in, and he had to pay for the gas anyway, so Nadia and Mark had to cover the cost. The room you all got had two beds and a couch, enough for two people to sleep in each bed and for one person to sleep on the couch. Mark almost immediately sat on the couch, insisting that he would be fine without a bed and that the all of you should take it, but Celaine shooed him off and sat down herself. "Hey, wait a minute, you're not taking the couch." You protested, pulling her up. "What if they're all creeps and I end up wanting to sleep here instead?" At your statement, Nadia looked mildly offended, Antonio shrugged, and Mark gave you an understanding smile. "Fine, if you care so much, you pick first." Celaine joked. [[Sleep on the couch->Couch]] [[Sleep on a bed with Celaine->Bed C]]

"I want the couch." You answered quickly, playfully nudging Celaine a little as she rolled her eyes. "Fine, but I'm taking Nadia for my bed-mate choice. I feel like she has the lowest chance of being a creep." Nadia grinned from her spot next to the guys. "Thanks, I think." You all settled into your respective sleeping places soon after agreeing on arrangements, and you found yourself much more tired than you had expected once the adrenaline of running away from your hometown wore off. You drifted off while thinking of your siblings, and even your dreams included them. God, you were worried. You woke up in the middle of the night to see one of your companions sitting at the small desk the motel room provided, the light of the lamp just barely illuminating their figure so that you could see it was... (A heart symbol marks choices as romantic. Choosing one romantic choice doesn't lock you in a route, of course, but it does give the ROs the opportunity to develop feelings for you.) [[♡ Mark->M]] [[♡ Celaine->C]] [[♡ Antonio->A]] [[♡ Nadia->N]]

"You're taking the bed with me, I'm not taking any chances." You joked, playfully shoving Celaine as she winked at you. "Wow, so eager to get me into bed, aren't you? Is there something you're not telling me, babe?" You all settled into your respective sleeping places soon after agreeing on arrangements, and you found yourself much more tired than you had expected once the adrenaline of running away from your hometown wore off. You drifted off while thinking of your siblings, and even your dreams included them. God, you were worried. You woke up in the middle of the night to see one of your companions sitting at the small desk the motel room provided, the light of the lamp just barely illuminating their figure so that you could see it was... (A heart symbol marks choices as romantic. Choosing one romantic choice doesn't lock you in a route, of course, but it does give any ROs the opportunity to develop feelings for you.) [[♡ Mark->M]] [[♡ Celaine->C]] [[♡ Antonio->A]] [[♡ Nadia->N]]

Mark sat at the desk, book in hand, staring down at the words with a peaceful expression on his face. "Why are you still up?" You whispered, exhaustion prevalent in your voice. "Antonio moves around in his sleep." He mused, using his head to gesture at said man, who was, at the moment, upside-down of the position he had fallen asleep in. The blanket was on the floor, and his head was where his feet would normally be. You laughed quietly, taking the second chair in the room and sitting down by him. "What are you reading?" You asked him, and Mark flagged his page, closing the thick book and showing the title to you. "Ecstacy of the Heart?" You read out loud, tilting your head in confusion. "It's a romance book, I've been reading it for about a month now. It was originally meant to be a gift for my mother, but she ended up not wanting it anymore, so I got to keep it." He spoke softly, afraid of waking any of the resting people. He wasn't sure how deeply Nadia or Celaine slept, so he didn't want to take any chances. "It seems like something you would like." He commented. After being one's therapist for almost a decade, you get to know them a bit. Mark laughed a bit to himself at his internal monologue, but decided against saying anything to you about it. [[Next->M2]]

Celaine sat at the desk, typing something on her phone. "Why are you still up?" You whispered, exhaustion prevalent in your voice. "Kept having nightmares about you dying and shit like that." She responded, playful tone still present despite the weight of her words. You nodded and pulled up a chair. "I get it." Was all you said as you sat beside her. "You know I really care about you, right?" Her voice was quiet, the meekness in her tone surprising herself. "Please promise me you'll be careful. I can't lose you." You smiled comfortingly at her, placing one of your hands on her own. Celaine felt a shiver run down her spine at the contact, but chose to ignore it. There was no way that old crush was resurfacing, especially not now, not in this situation. "You're not gonna lose me, Laine, I promise." You said comfortingly. Her smile grew as you said those words to her, and she gave you a hug. "I beter not." She tried to joke, but her voice wavered. You and her brother were pretty much the only people left in her life that cared about her, and the thought of losing either you forever was absolutely terrifying. [[Next->C2]]

Antonio sat at the desk, scrolling through his phone with his feet kicked up on the table. He flinched when you whispered his name, turning to you. "Why are you still up?" You asked, exhaustion prevalent in your voice. He looked at you in silence for a moment, but soon turned away with a frown. "Couldn't sleep." He mumbled. You pulled up a chair and sat at the table with him. "Yeah, I get it." You responded. His answer to your question wasn't technically a lie, per se, but he had neglected to tell you the whole truth. He was up all night thinking. About you, more specifically. He wasn't fantasising or anything, but still found it demeaning to admit that you were what occupied his mind all night, so he stayed quiet. After a few beats of quiet, he turned off his phone and placed it on the dest, taking his feet off it as he did. "Why exactly are you awake, then?" He asked. You shrugged, resting your chin in your hand and closing your eyes. "Finding out the devil is after you tends to be a very disturbing discovery. Makes it kinda hard to sleep." Antonio felt his anxiety rise as you answered the question, but kept a straight face. Of course, he felt horrible that you had to experience this, he always felt bad for his clients, but showing those feelings tended to make them see him as unprofessional, so he avoided it. [[Next->A2]]

Nadia sat at the desk, doodling in a notebook. "Why are you still up?" You whispered, exhaustion prevalent in your voice. "Antonio moves around in his sleep." She mused, using her head to gesture at said man, who was, at the moment, upside-down of the position he had fallen asleep in. "So I switched with Mark so he could get to bed, but then the bastard kept me awake too." The blanket was on the floor, and Antonio's head was where his feet would normally be. You laughed quietly, taking the second chair in the room and sitting down by her. She grinned as you did so, continuing to draw in her notebook. You leaned over her shoulder to look at it, and Nadia shivered a bit as she felt you pressed against her back. Nadia loved physical contact, of course, but this was different. It was different because of you. "What are you drawing?" You asked, tilting your head a bit. It was adorable. Nadia put down her pencil and held up the drawing. "Well, I was just doing a quick sketch of Ramona right now to give her since we just saw her, but I've kinda been drawing all night." She laughed sheepishly, flipping through her notebook to show you all she had made that night. The drawings included things like flowers, birds, portraits, and even one rough sketch of Antonio's weird sleeping position that she was actually incredibly proud of. [[Next->N2]]

Now, however, he felt a strange urge to comfort you. Sure, he wasn't a bad guy, but he wasn't very good with emotions. He hesitated a moment, but eventually reached out and gave you a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "I'm...sorry you have to deal with this." Antonio said, averting his eyes from your form, but he soon realized you hadn't responded, or even moved, in a while. Turning back, he found himself smiling fondly at the sight of you sleeping. Catching himself in his admiring of you, he shook his head in an effort to stop himself, and placed a hand on the small of your back, using the leverage to heft you out of the uncomfortable wooden chair and into his arms. He carried you the short walk to the spot you had been sleeping, before setting you down and making sure you were covered with the blanket. Antonio looked at your peaceful expression for a moment, and his hand subconsciously reached out to touch your face, the sudden urge to kiss you goodnight popping into his mind. The thought startled him, and he took his hand away from you, standing up quickly with a burning face. "What the hell?" He asked himself, running a hand over his buzzed hair. "God, what is WRONG with me?" As he went to get back to bed, he noticed Celaine sitting up from her spot on the bed, giving him an amused look. "I-" Antonio's words caught in his throat as he coughed, avoiding eye contact with your best friend. "Wow." Was her only response. That night, the famously stoic Antonio Benitez Garrido spend the whole evening with his head spinning with questions about why the hell he was thinking these things, and never got a wink of sleep. [[Next->A3]]

You and Celaine talked together for few more minutes, and she felt her anxiety easing at just the sound of your voice. She wasn't five, she knew her nightmares were just that, but she couldn't help but be worried about you. She loved you, whether as a best friend or something more, she wasn't sure yet, and genuinely cared about what happened to you despite the confident façade she put up. Soon enough, you nodded off, falling asleep on her shoulder. Celaine looked down at your sleeping face and laughed at herself a bit. You had never been the most graceful sleeper, but she always found you beautiful, no matter the state you were in. She wrapped an arm around your waist and helped you to stand, gently waking you up as she did so. "Hey." She whispered, her tone far more gentle than usual. You blinked sleepily at her and she grinned. "Come on, sleepyhead, I can't carry you." After getting you back into your spot and making sure you were comfortable, Celaine gave you a quick pat on the head before standing up. "Goodnight, $name." She whispered, despite you not being able to hear her in your unconscious state. "Sleep well, babe." [[Next->C3]]

Mark offered to read to you soon after the two of you began talking about the book, and you accepted surprisingly quickly. Now, you lay resting against his chest as he recited the words within the book, a consolatory arm wrapped around your form. He hadn't asked you why you were also awake at this hour, he could tell you didn't want to talk about it. Instead, he opted for physical comfort. He felt some tension release from your body and, upon looking at you to see if anything was wrong, found you fast asleep. Mark smiled and shook his head fondly. For a short while, he debated bringing you back to where you had slept for the first half of the night, but decided against moving you for fear of waking you and preventing you from getting back to sleep. Mark allowed you to sleep on top of him and gently shifted you so you were also sitting in the armchair he occupied. You subconsciously wrapped your arms around his torso, holding him as if he would run away if you didn't, and he felt his heart skip a beat as you did so. Ignoring his nerves, he picked his book back up and began reading once again, before soon falling asleep himself. [[Next->M3]]

You laughed at the last picture, a bright and happy sound that warmed Nadia's heart. The both of you heard Celaine groan from across the room and stared at her silently, holding in your laughter. Soon enough, Nadia lost control and snorted quietly, causing you to fall into a fit of giggles. After about an hour of exchanging jokes, stories, and Nadia doodling silly things for you, she saw you yawn and wrap your arms around her. "You tired, $name?" She tried asking you, but found you were already asleep. She smoothed your hair down with one hand, grinning at you. "Aw." She cooed, picking you up and bringing you back to where you had previously been sleeping. As she set you down, Nadia patted you on the head sweetly. You didn't wake up, of course, but she liked giving you the small loving gesture. You could use some comfort considering what was now happening to you, she figured. Nadia couldn't even imagine what it would be like to be in your situation. "I'm sorry." She whispered, a bittersweet expression on her face. "I'll fix this, I'm sorry." [[Next->N3]]

Antonio was the first one awake that morning, sitting at the same desk Nadia had been last night. He was eating an orange while staring off into space, and had a plate of waffles in his lap. You got up and stretched and, apparently hearing the noise you were making, Antonio glanced at you, only to just nod a greeting and grunt. His eyes had bags under them that were so pronounced that you were pretty sure he could carry groceries in them. It looked like he didn't get any sleep at all. Before you could ask, though, he stood up and placed the food on the table next to where Mark was sleeping. You could've sworn you saw him smile a little. "We gotta get going once everyone wakes up. There's a diner right next door so I grabbed some food for Nadia and Mark, but I wasn't really sure what the rest of you would want. You can go get breakfast if you need some, I don't really care as long as you come back not-dead." It was just then that you noticed Nadia's absence. "Hey, where'd Nadia go?" Antonio pocketed his phone and ran a hand over his hair. "A walk." Was his only response. The five of you piled into the car soon after you all got ready for the day. Nadia sat in the front seat next to Antonio, who wouldn't let anybody drive his car but himself, and you sat in the back between Celaine and Mark. "We should check out Samuel Bishop first." Nadia suggested, flipping through one of the files gave her. "He seems the most suspicious here. He probably knows some shit he shouldn't." [[Next->Road Trip 2]]

Antonio was still awake that morning, sitting at the same desk he had been last night. He was eating an orange while staring off into space, and had a bowl of fruit in his lap. You got up and stretched and, apparently hearing the noise you were making, Antonio glanced at you, only to just nod a greeting and grunt. His eyes had bags under them that were so pronounced that you were pretty sure he could carry groceries in them. It looked like he didn't get any sleep at all. Before you could ask, though, he stood up and placed the bowl of fruit on the table next to where Nadia was sleeping. You could've sworn you saw him smile a little. "We gotta get going once everyone wakes up. There's a diner right next door so I grabbed some food for Nadia and I, but I wasn't really sure what the rest of you would want. You can go get breakfast if you need some, I don't really care as long as you come back not-dead." It was just then that you noticed Mark's absence. "Hey, where'd Mark go?" Antonio pocketed his phone and ran a hand over his hair, a habit you noticed he had. "Diner." Was his only response. The five of you piled into the car soon after you all got ready for the day. Nadia sat in the front seat next to Antonio, who wouldn't let anybody drive his car but himself, and you sat in the back between Celaine and Mark. "We should check out Samuel Bishop first." Nadia suggested, flipping through one of the files Ramona gave her. "He seems the most suspicious here. He probably knows some shit he shouldn't." [[Next->Road Trip 2]]

Antonio was the first one awake that morning, sitting at the same desk Celaine had been last night. He was eating an orange while staring off into space, and had a plate of waffles in his lap. You got up and stretched and, apparently hearing the noise you were making, Antonio glanced at you, only to just nod a greeting and grunt. His eyes had bags under them that were so pronounced that you were pretty sure he could carry groceries in them. It looked like he didn't get any sleep at all. Before you could ask, though, he stood up and placed the food on the table next to where Mark was sleeping. You could've sworn you saw him smile a little. "We gotta get going once everyone wakes up. There's a diner right next door so I grabbed some food for Nadia and Mark, but I wasn't really sure what the rest of you would want. You can go get breakfast if you need some, I don't really care as long as you come back not-dead." It was just then that you noticed Nadia's absence. "Hey, where'd Nadia go?" Antonio pocketed his phone and ran a hand over his hair. "A walk." Was his only response. The five of you piled into the car soon after you all got ready for the day. Nadia sat in the front seat next to Antonio, who wouldn't let anybody drive his car but himself, and you sat in the back between Celaine and Mark. "We should check out Samuel Bishop first." Nadia suggested, flipping through one of the files Ramona gave her. "He seems the most suspicious here. He probably knows some shit he shouldn't." [[Next->Road Trip 2]]

Antonio was the first one awake that morning, sitting at the same desk Mark had been last night. He was eating an orange while staring off into space, and had a bowl of fruit in his lap. You got up and stretched and, apparently hearing the noise you were making, Antonio glanced at you, only to just nod a greeting and grunt. His eyes had bags under them that were so pronounced that you were pretty sure he could carry groceries in them. It looked like he didn't get any sleep at all. Before you could ask, though, he stood up and placed the bowl of fruit on the table next to where Nadia was sleeping. You could've sworn you saw him smile a little. "We gotta get going once everyone wakes up. There's a diner right next door so I grabbed some food for Nadia and I, but I wasn't really sure what the rest of you would want. You can go get breakfast if you need some, I don't really care as long as you come back not-dead." It was just then that you noticed Mark's absence. "Hey, where'd Mark go?" Antonio pocketed his phone and ran a hand over his hair. "Diner." Was his only response. The five of you piled into the car soon after you all got ready for the day. Nadia sat in the front seat next to Antonio, who wouldn't let anybody drive his car but himself, and you sat in the back between Celaine and Mark. "We should check out Samuel Bishop first." Nadia suggested, flipping through one of the files Ramona gave her. "He seems the most suspicious here. He probably knows some shit he shouldn't." [[Next->Road Trip 2]]

The five of you drove towards Marlaya, a small town about an hour from the motel you stayed at, and apparently where Samuel lived. Ramona hadn't given you his address, but you were all pretty confident you could find him. According to her, everyone knew everyone in this town. You were all pretty much just sitting in silence for the whole ride until Celaine spoke up and tried to start a game of I Spy, which was immediately met with loud agreements from Nadia. "Yes! We have to play!" She gave Celaine an urgent look, so excited she was practically vibrating. "Trust me, you don't want to play I Spy with her." Antonio muttered from the front seat, a smirk practically audible in his voice. He laughed, a rare sound, when Nadia hit him in the arm. "Sorry, sorry." "You have a lot of siblings, right?" Mark asked her from his spot next to you. Celaine cocked an eyebrow and looked at him suspiciously. "What does that have to do with anything? I've got a brother and I'm fine with games." Mark shrugged. "People with more than three siblings tend to be more competitive because they don't get a lot of attention from their parents." You, Celaine, and Nadia looked at him blankly, and you opened your mouth to say something but were cut off by a sound so loud you thought it might burst your eardrums. [[Next->exploding cars /srs]]

A car that had been parked on the shoulder of the road ahead had suddenly exploded, sending pieces of glass and metal shooting through the air. Antonio cursed and slammed on the brakes, yelling for all of you to cover your faces. After the flying debris subsided, Nadia uncovered her eyes and shreiked. "Holy shit, is that guy dead?" Celaine asked in disbeleif, pointing to where Nadia was looking. Sure enough, a man lay on the road, face down in a pool of his own blood. Mark hastily opened his door and ran over to him, accompanied by you and Nadia. He turned the man over on his back, and the stranger cried out in pain as he did so. A large gash had been torn in his stomach, and he practically had to hold his organs in. You felt bile rise in your throat and covered your mouth at the horrific sight. "He's not dead yet, but he will be soon if we don't do something!" Celaine and Antonio made their way over next, and your friend had a similar reaction to you. Unlike you, however, she actually looked like she could throw up any second, and probably would. Antonio pushed through your group, holding the sweatshirt Celaine had previously been wearing and kneeling next to the man. "Hey, listen, you'll be okay, we're going to help you." He hastily wrapped the shirt around the man's stomach, but the rest of you could see his eyes drooping closed. Apparently Antonio could too, because he turned to Nadia. "Call an ambulance. I'll keep him alive as long as I can." He switched his focus back to the strange man and slapped him in the face. [[Next->save him antonio pls we need him for exposition]]

"Hey, what the hell was that?" Celaine asked incredulously. Antonio, ignoring her, kept talking to the man. "Stay with me here, okay? Talk to me, what's your name?" "S-Samuel Bishop." He coughed out. All of you froze for a moment, and Nadia came running back with her phone in hand. "Okay, they're sending someone to come get him now." Antonio nodded at her in thanks and tightened the shirt around Samuel's stomach. "Okay, Samuel, how's your family? You got a wife, a husband, any kids?" He spoke almost frantically, and you kneeled next to him and Samuel, helping Antonio put pressure over the wound while Celaine ran off, commenting about feeling lightheaded. That wasn't a surprise to you, she was terrified of blood. "Yes, I-" He cut himself off with another cough, gripping onto your arm with tears in his eyes. "I have a daughter. She's seventeen, moving out soon." All of you but Celaine, who understandably couldn't bare to be near this scene, continued to keep Samuel talking in an effort to keep him awake and alive. Eventually, though, he started sobbing out his words instead. "Please help me, I don't want to die yet." He weakly reached out towards Mark, who looked like he might also start crying any second. Antonio grabbed his shoulder and shook him a bit, trying to get him out of his hysterical state. "Hey, hey, look at me. You'll be okay. There's an ambulance on its way right now, alright? You're not gonna die, we'll get you back to your daughter, I [[promise->gasp is he okay]]."

"Alright." Spoke the doctor that had evaluated and temporarily wrapped Samuel's wounds to keep him from bleeding out while they prepared for surgery. Turns out that, besides the obvious one on his stomach, he had a few other serious injuries like a mild skull fracture, a burst eardrum, and a few broken ribs. "We'll need to perform surgery on him as soon as possible to close that lesion in his abdomen, but other than that, the most he'll need is to prevent movement as much as possible while his broken bones heal. We've contacted his daughter, she'll take care of the payment." The five of you sat in the waiting room as you spoke with her, with Nadia anxiously biting her nails. Even Mark didn't seem nearly as calm as he usually was, bouncing his leg with anxiety. "Okay, thank you." You said gratefully, clutching your backpack to your chest as you did so. You all had been restlessly waiting to hear about Samuel's condition for at least an hour now, and you had that entire time to dwell on your worries. There was no way this was a coincidence. The very man you were going to see, who just happens to have a connection to both the occult and your mother, is almost killed by his car exploding while you're on your way to the town he lives in? The timing was too perfect, it should have been impossible. Somehow, though, it happened. It happened, and you knew, deep down, you were somehow at [[fault->home from the hopsital]].

Another day, another hotel room. You all decided to stick with your sleeping arrangements from the previous night, but you hadn't managed to get any rest yet. Guilt and fear muddled your mind, and you couldn't do anything but stare blankly into space, consumed by your own worries. How were you even supposed to fix something like this? You almost saw a man die and it's only one day into this whole thing, who knows how dangerous things might get? Someone knocked on the door. You quickly rushed towards it before the sound woke the others, flipping up the peephole cover to see Ramona standing outside your hotel room, expression severe and angry. Not the sort of joking anger she felt towards Antonio when you last saw her, she was furious. [[Open the door->open up bitch]] [[Wake up the others->wakey wakey its time for schoo]]

You pull the door open and Ramona storms into the room, pushing past you and making a beeline for her brother. Grabbing him by the front of his shirt and lifting him out of bed, she slapped him in the face. Antonio's eyes shot open and his expression changed from offended to confused. "Roma, what are you doing here?" He groggily asked her, rubbing his stinging cheek. Ramona just started yelling at him in Spanish, too angry to care about anything. You could even see tears welling up in her eyes as she screamed at Antonio, speaking so quickly that even he couldn't entirely understand her. "Slow down and tell me what the hell is going on!" She slapped him again, this time letting herself cry as she did so. "Antonio, malparido, how could you?!" Her grip weakened and he fell to the floor, staring at his sister in shock. By now, everyone else was awake. Nadia got up from her spot and walked over to Ramona. "Hey, what's wrong?" Ramona clenched her fists and glared at Antonio, completely ignoring Nadia. "You son of a bitch, I can't believe you! You just decided to give up everything, and for what, some stupid 'negotiation'?!" He only stayed silent, staring at her with a guilty expression, but not saying anything in response. "Who the hell even uses their lifespan as a bargaining chip anyway? You know I would rather die than lose you, you stupid boy! Mamá would have left you in Colombia to fend for yourself if it wasn't for me, I hope you know that. I hope you remember that, and I hope you feel like a backstabber for the last few months you have left, because that's exactly what you are!" [[Next->omg so scary]]

As Ramona continues to pound on the door, you run back to the others and shake them all awake, before telling Antonio about the situation. "Your sister's here, and she's angry." He quickly shot up from the bed and yanked open the door, only to be met with his sister gripping the collar of his shirt and slapping him in the face. "What the fuck, Roma? Why are you even here?" He asked, rubbing his stinging cheek Ramona just started yelling at him in Spanish, too angry to care about anything. You could even see tears welling up in her eyes as she screamed at Antonio, speaking so quickly that even he couldn't entirely understand her. "Slow down and tell me what the hell is going on!" She slapped him again, this time letting herself cry as she did so. "Antonio, malparido, how could you?!" Her grip weakened and he fell to the floor, staring at his sister in shock. By now, everyone else was over by the doorway. Nadia pushed past the others and made her way over to Ramona. "Hey, what's wrong?" Ramona clenched her fists and glared at Antonio, completely ignoring Nadia. "You son of a bitch, I can't believe you! You just decided to give up everything, and for what, some stupid 'negotiation'?!" He only stayed silent, staring at her with a guilty expression, but not saying anything in response. "Who the hell even uses their lifespan as a bargaining chip anyway? You know I would rather die than lose you, you stupid boy! Mamá would have left you in Colombia to fend for yourself if it wasn't for me, I hope you know that. I hope you remember that, and I hope you feel like a backstabber for the last few months you have left, because that's exactly what you are!" [[Next->omg so scary]]

Antonio sat on the floor, face a mixture of shock, offense, and some unreadable emotion. You had a feeling it might be guilt. "Roma, listen-" He started, voice calm but still somehow managing to sound irritated. This only made Ramona angrier. "Stop calling me Roma, you assface! You have ten seconds to explain what the fuck you were thinking before I smack you into next week. You got that, careverga?" Somehow, the blunt threat was even more terrifying than it would have been if it was just implied. "I didn't have a choice, alright? It was the only thing she would take, I couldn't have given up anything else even if I wanted to." [[Ask what's going on->hey yall was happening]] [[Stay out of it->nah im good]]

You furrowed your eyebrows, confused. What exactly did he mean by that? "Sorry, um, what's going on, exactly?" You asked them. Ramona looked at her brother and cocked an eyebrow at him, as if ordering him to explain. Antonio sighed and stood up. "It's a complicated situation. Long story short, I made a shitty bargain and now I've got about..." He paused for a moment, counting something on his fingers. "Two months left to live." He said it so calmly, as if this wasn't his life you were talking about. He had clearly come to terms with it long ago. "I don't regret it." He finished. Nadia just stared at him. "You're joking, right? Tell me you're kidding." Her voice shook a bit, and a look of fear flashed over her face. Antonio put his hands in his pockets and gave her a small smile, the kind of look one would expect to see from a parent trying to comfort their child. "I'm not gonna lie to you, Nadi." [[Next->o no]]

You contemplated asking for more information, but this seemed like a personal conversation, and you didn't want to make Ramona any angrier than she already was. Celaine, however, didn't share that opinion. "Hey, uh, what's going on, exactly?" She asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Ramona looked at her brother and cocked an eyebrow at him, as if ordering him to explain. Antonio sighed and stood up. "It's a complicated situation. Long story short, I made a shitty bargain and now I've got about..." He paused for a moment, counting something on his fingers. "Two months left to live." He said it so calmly, as if this wasn't his life you were talking about. He had clearly come to terms with it long ago. "I don't regret it." He finished. Nadia just stared at him. "You're joking, right? Tell me you're kidding." Her voice shook a bit, and a look of fear flashed over her face. Antonio put his hands in his pockets and gave her a small smile, the kind of look one would expect to see from a parent trying to comfort their child. "I'm not going to lie to you, Nadia." [[Next->o no]]

Antonio bit the inside of his cheek as he saw Nadia's eyes start to tear up, and looked back at his sister, who was crying too, though he wasn't sure if she was actually sad or just angry. He could even feel his own eyes stinging with tears. God, he had really hoped that he would never have to have this conversation with them, he's not good with emotions. "Listen, I'm sorry I didn't say anything but, you know, I just couldn't." He shrugged and avoided eye contact with any of them. "I really didn't have a choice, she didn't give me one. How did you even find out?" Antonio asked his sister, still refusing to look at her. Ramona kept silent for what felt like an hour. When she finally spoke, her voice was hoarse from all the yelling earlier. "Papá called me last week. He thought you were already dead. You just had to be on the road to make it hard to find you, didn't you, viejo?" Shit. Of course his father told her. He could have just called his mother, but Nicolás would go to endless lengths to avoid his ex-wife. "Why were you even making a deal in the first place?" Mark asked him, voice ever-calm but posture making his anxieties obvious. Antonio glanced back at Ramona, memories flooding his mind. "Well, it all happened a while [[ago->flashback uwu]]."

//Antonio, Ramona, and their mother had officially moved to America only one year before the disease hit their youngest child. Ramona had been diagnosed with acute bronchitis, most likely due to being exposed to secondhand smoke through their father, just before they relocated, but had been receiving treatment before the move and was definitely getting much better. However, the family moved before she could finish treatment, and, in America, it was too expensive to continue without insurance, which they couldn't pay for. The bronchitis, after going untreated for so long, ended up mutating into pneumonia. Ramona was on death's door for at least a week, and every night, her family was terrified she wouldn't wake up in the morning. They still couldn't afford treatment for her but Antonio, hating seeing his nine-year-old sister in so much pain, had taken up many odd jobs around town in an effort to get money to save her. The cost would be over $10,000, though, money they just weren't able to get in time. Antonio's worst fear was losing his sister, and his mother had to practically drag him kicking and screaming from her bedside in order to get him to school. He skipped it half the time to work, anyway. One day, on his way to fix Mrs. Awakuni's leaky sink, Antonio was pulled into an alley by a tall woman. They lived in the slums of Azreles, so her expensive outfit and jewelry were incredibly uncommon to see. Her earrings alone were probably worth more money than he was.// [[Next->hehe comeere little boy wtf thats so creepy]]

//"You're Antonio Benitez Garrido, right?" The woman asked him, kneeling down so they were eye-level with one another. He stayed silent. His mother had told him many times to never talk to strangers. "You're young and strong, my little flower, and you're going to live a long time. Your sister isn't, though. As we speak, her lungs are failing. She will die tonight." Antonio looked at this woman in shock, weakly flailing in an effort to try to get away from her. He opened his mouth to scream, but she clapped a hand over it. "I can save your dear sister Ramona. I can cure her, and I won't charge you a single penny." He froze. There was no way she was serious, right? As if reading his mind, she let out an eerie giggle. "Don't worry, my sweet boy. I'm a woman of my word. Give me what I ask, and I promise your sister will live a long and fulfilling life." He just stared at her. The deal seemed too good to be true. Speaking for the first time, he whispered, nearly inaudibly, to her. "What do you want from me?" The woman laughed again, reaching her hand out and holding it in front of his chest. She paused for only a moment before a silver string lifted itself from him and into her hand. Antonio watched in horror as she pulled out some scissors and held the string taut, opening them as if she were going to cut it any second. "Your lifespan, darling. I need something to give to Ramona, don't I? Don't you worry your pretty little head, Antonio, I'll leave you enough for you to last until the day you turn twenty-six. It's a much better alternative to watching your baby sister die in suffering, isn't it?" It sounded more like a threat than an offer.// [[Next->magiccc]]

//The minute Antonio agreed, the woman cut the string, and he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He cried out as the remains of his lifespan creeped back into his body, and crumpled from the sheer agony of the feeling. "There, there, my dear, it'll be okay." The woman comforted him, patting his head as he sobbed. His chest burned, it felt like someone was stabbing a hot metal spear right through his heart. "The pain will subside soon enough. Once it does, go home, and your sister will be well once again. I promise."// "So yeah, there you go." He muttered to the others around him. Antonio was still looking away from them, but that quickly changed as Ramona hugged him. "You didn't have to do that, idiot." Her words were harsh, but her tone was soft and her voice trembled as her shoulders shook. She was crying. "What did you want me to do, hermanita? 'No, magic woman, I would rather my sister and best friend die in pain while my mother and I watch'? I still care about you, even if you don't want to admit it." Celaine glanced over at you, both of you equally surprised by this explanation. "Okay..." She said, raising her eyebrows. "Well, what do we do now?" Antonio gently pushed his sister away. "We keep working, of course. I've never once let a client down, and I'm not going to start today because of some deal I made when I was twelve. We're going to get to the bottom of this." [[Next->wake up in the morning feelin like p diddy]]

Ramona had gone home early that morning, and you were just about ready to get on the road again before Mark spoke up from his spot on one of the beds, reading a book. "You know, we could always take a break, just for today. Why don't we leave later on and give ourselves time to rest? I think we could use it, especially after what happened yesterday." Nadia brightened a bit at the proposition. "Ooh, I heard there's a carnival down at the pier nearby, we should go check it out, Antonio!" He didn't object, which Nadia took as a win. Mark looked up from his phone, which he had somehow taken out as the rest of you weren't looking. "Seems like there's a museum on ancient civilizations nearby, I'm going to go check that out if any of you want to come with." Celaine's eyes lit up, and she bounced on her heels a bit. "I love history! I'm going there too." They all turned to you, silently asking where you would be spending the day. You decided to go... [[To the carnival with Nadia and Antonio->hey guys lets go have f u n]] [[To the museum with Celaine and Mark->history lesson]]

"Mind if I come with you two?" You turned to Nadia and Antonio, tilting your head in curiosity. Nadia immediately grabbed your wrist and pulled you towards her and her friend. "Of course!" Antonio just sort of shrugged. "Sure, I don't care." You flashed them a thumbs up and the five of you talked for a bit longer before you split up and went to your respective break spots. Nadia's eyes were practically sparkling at the sight of the carnival, and she dashed ahead of both you and Antonio as soon as she was close enough. Antonio sighed and pulled out his wallet, preparing to follow her before she dashed back towards you two, grabbing your wrists and dragging you over to a booth. "Guys, watch this!" Antonio handed her a five, barely even paying attention at this point. The game itself was one that had a bunch of fishbowls lined up in a box, and if you landed one of the ping-pong balls in one of the bowls with a red rim, you won the fish inside the bowl. Being completely honest, you weren't sure if it was totally humane to throw balls at goldfish. Antonio elbowed Nadia before she could start tossing, and handed her another bill, this one worth twenty dollars. "Hey, Nadi, I'm going to go buy a pretzel. Keep playing if you want, but don't come back for more money. We're not exactly rolling in it right now." You could've sworn you saw a fond smile on his face as he turned away. [[Get food with Antonio->f o o d d a t e ?????]] [[Play games with Nadia->get that fish girl]]

"Mind if I come with you two?" You turned to Celaine and Mark, tilting your head in curiosity. Celaine rolled her eyes at you and grabbed your bicep, pulling you over to her. "Come on, babe. You don't even have to ask." She teased as Mark flashed you an approving thumbs-up while pocketing his phone. The five of you talked for a bit longer before you split up and went to your respective break spots. After the three of you paid your admissions and entered the museum, Mark immediately whipped out a map he somehow picked up on your way in. Seriously, how does he do this stuff? "Oh, it seems like there's an exhibit on Sumer just nearby, we should go look at that first. I think we should go in chronological order. That way, it would be easier to figure out our next destinations if we-" Mark cut himself off upon seeing the look on Celaine's face. "What?" She just stared at him with an eyebrow raised. "I've never seen someone think that hard about where to go in a museum. Why don't we just wander around and look at what seems right in the moment? We'll get to them all eventually, so I don't really see the point of thinking about it that much." Mark just shrugged. "I like keeping things organized, what can I say? You can go off if you want, I just prefer doing things this way." Celaine tapped her chin in thought for a few seconds before grinning. "Maybe I will. Wanna come, $name?" [[Wander with Celaine->museum wandering]] [[Go to Sumer with Mark->flirting??]]

You caught up to Antonio, feeling a bit hungry yourself. He glanced at you but didn't say anything as the two of you walked together. The silence was suffocating, but neither of you spoke. Antonio cleared his throat and opened his mouth as if to say something, but quickly shut his mouth and shoved his gloved hands in his pockets after making eye contact with you. God, this was awkward. "So..." You started, trying to strike up a conversation. "Are you just Nadia's bank when you go places? I saw you take out your wallet as soon as we got here, it seemed more like a reflex than anything." He just shrugged at your question. "Sort of. She's not good at impulse control, so she runs out of money quicker than you'd think." The two of you reached the food truck that had the pretzels Antonio wanted, and he turned to you after ordering his food, silently asking if you wanted anything. "<<cycle "$foodornah" autoselect>> <<option "I don't need anything, but thanks.">> <<option "A pretzel for me too.">> <<option "Deep-fried oreos sound good.">> <<option "Can I just have water or something?">> <</cycle>>" You said in response, and the two of you sat down at a rickety picnic table soon after paying and recieving your food. Neither of you spoke, though, and soon enough, the two of you fell into another insufferable silence. Was it just you, or was it really hard to talk to this guy half the time? [[♡ Ask about his scars->hey buddy whats up with ur face]] [[Ask about Mark->are u gay]] [[Wait->....]]

Nadia was already throwing the small plastic balls when you turned back to her, apparently incredibly determined to win a fish despite not having anywhere to keep it if she did. "Nadia, what exactly are you going to do with that fish if you win it?" She opened her mouth to respond before stepping back and giving a sigh. "I know, you're right, but I just love animals! I hate that they have to just sit here in these tiny bowls, that are way too small to be healthy for the fish, by the way, waiting for someone to take them home in a shitty plastic bag." She crossed her arms, silently glaring at the small containers they were held in. You picked up Antonio's money, quickly putting it in your pocket so Nadia didn't just buy all those fish or something. "We could go play something else, if you still want to." You suggested and, practically glowing with happiness, Nadia nodded, grabbing your wrist and dragging you over to another booth. This one had balloons fixed to a wall, which you were apparently supposed to toss darts at and pop if you wanted a stuffed animal. She held out her hand and you instinctively placed the twenty in it, Nadia slapping it down on the small counter in front of her. "Five darts, please." She asked the attendant with a sweet smile, her innocent expression heavily contrasting her body language. Upon being handed the small items, Nadia held her hand out, presumably for you to take, and grinned at you. "Just this once, for good luck?" [[♡ Hug her instead->get over here you lovable bitch]] [[Take her hand->cuties]]

You and Celaine ended up going to the closest exhibit first, one on Imperial China, with your best friend all but dragging you along for the ride. She rattled off various facts about the era while the two of you walked around the room, practically glowing from joy. You stayed silent, just looking at her with a small smile. Sure, Celaine was a pretty happy person, but she never really got this worked up about just anything. This wasn't something that happened a lot. She was only ever this thrilled when talking about either history or sports, and it was a sight that was actually really refreshing to see. She didn't often outwardly showcase her emotions, instead donning that charming façade, so it was really comforting to be able to see her genuinely enjoying something for once instead of what she usually did. It made you feel at ease, for some reason. As the two of you continued to wander around the surprisingly large museum, Celaine eventually spotted an unmarked door, tugging on your arm. "Ooh, let's go check that out!" She suggested, grinning playfully at her own words. "It's probably a secret passage filled with ghosts." She joked, wiggling her fingers at you in a way you were pretty sure was supposed to be an imitation of a ghost or something. [[♡ Go in the door->lets make out now pls]] [[Just move on to other exhibits->im good]]

Mark made a beeline for an old sculpture the minute the two of you set foot in the room. As you reached his side, he just stood there, looking fondly at the artwork. He was much quieter than Celaine was about these things, she usually kept talking for what seemed like hours on end. "Nanna." You read aloud from the small panel in front of the stone statue. "He's the god of the moon in the Sumerian pantheon." You caught Mark muttering under his breath. You nodded, satisfied with the minimal information. You two stayed in that particular exhibit for a while, mostly because of the fact that it was so large, but the silence between you two was relatively comfortable. For some reason, Mark's calm demeanor made you feel like you didn't need to talk to enjoy being around him. Something felt relatively off today, though. He seemed more tense than he normally was. Soon enough, you were sitting on a bench with him while taking a break from looking at all the ancient shit around, still exchanging very few words, which was getting even more unusual by the minute. Usually, it was incredibly easy to get a conversation going with him. Now, not so much. You felt like you should ask him something. [[♡ Ask about him->are you good bro]] [[Ask about Antonio->so hey about your husband]]

"Why exactly do you have so many scars?" You blurted out before you could stop yourself, not entirely realizing how rude that might sound. You caught him glance down at his hands before answering. "I got into a lot of fights when I was younger, and my job isn't exactly very safe. I've had to do a ton of shit with my hands, so they're pretty ugly and fucked up right now." He simply said, speaking as if it didn't bother him at all. "It's nothing, really. Most people just don't like seeing them. Honestly, I don't either, so I get it." It was now when you noticed a small, almost unnoticeable marks that littered his face. The most obvious ones were a small line underneath his left eye, one that crossed over his lips that was definitely an old scar (based off how faded it was), and one thin line near his scalp. Antonio shrunk, if only slightly, under your gaze, and averted his eyes from yours. "In case you can't tell, I lost most of those fights. Actually, uh, I got this one," he pointed to the scar on his lips, "from my ex-girlfriend. Crazy asshole." He muttered the last insult under his breath, but you still heard it. "Seriously?" You asked, almost disbelievingly. You hoped that fight happened after their relationship ended. He simply nodded, but didn't elaborate. Instinctively, you reached forward as if to touch him, but caught yourself before you made contact. Antonio froze, a flush evident in his face, despite holding his usual calm expression, and opened his mouth as if to say something, before being cut off by your ringing phone. It was Celaine's brother. You answered the phone, and were immediately greeted by his panicked voice. "You need to help me. Something's wrong with $sisname." [[Next->huh1]]

"If you don't mind me asking," you started, catching Antonio's attention away from his pretzel, which he had previously been absently staring at, "what exactly is up between you and Mark?" He stayed silent for a while before pursing his lips and raising an eyebrow. "What does that mean?" He asked, almost defensively. By the way he responded, you would think you insulted him or something. "It's just that you guys are so different that I really can't imagine you being friends, but you seem to care about him a lot. Just wondering what's going on with that." After hesitating a bit more, as if contemplating exactly how much he should say, Antonio averted his eyes from yours once again, finally deciding to rest them on his food. "We're...more alike than you'd think." Clearing his throat and shaking his head, he ripped off a piece of his pretzel and all but shoved it in his mouth, most likely to avoid more questions. He actually looked embarrassed, rather than just generally uncomfortable. Jeez, this really left you with more questions than answers. You would ask more, but it was clear that Antonio wouldn't say anything else on the topic of Mark. Maybe you would ask him about it later. Just as you were about to change the topic, your ringing phone cut you off. It was Celaine's brother. You answered the phone, and were immediately greeted by his panicked voice. "You need to help me. Something's wrong with $sisname." [[Next->huh1]]

As the two of you sat at the table in silence, you found yourself running your hands over the ridges in the wood, the swirling designs helping to calm your mind from any tension you might have been experiencing. You could hear just about everything in the stifling absence of conversation. You faintly registered Nadia's voice crying out in happiness, most likely having won some game. You could also hear the sounds of booth and food truck owners calling out to the crowds of people, attempting to get people to buy their shitty carnival food or to play a game that was no doubt rigged. As you looked around absently, that vacant place where a conversation should have been was filled by the ringing of your phone on the table. It was Celaine's brother. You answered the phone, and were immediately greeted by his panicked voice. "You need to help me. Something's wrong with $sisname." [[Next->huh1]]

Rather than taking her hand as she suggested, you reached forward and pulled Nadia into a hug. She let out a surprised noise at your actions, but her shock soon dissolved into happy giggles. "Well now I'll definitely win." She joked before pulling away from you and holding up one of the darts. "Thanks." Nadia smiled at you. The sight wasn't a rare one, but this look felt different than the others in a way you couldn't quite put your finger on. For some reason, it felt like she was seeing you differently than she normally did. After throwing the darts and popping three of the balloons, Nadia let out a sudden whoop of joy, throwing her arms around you. "Yes, I won! Thanks for the luck, $name, you're the best." A strange feeling erupted inside your stomach at her words, but you tried your best to ignore it, pushing it down until you were sure it was gone. You were pretty sure it was gone, at least. The two of you ran around the carnival, playing various games that, to your surprise, Nadia was actually great at. She ended up with at least five stuffed animals and even more useless trinkets than you could count. Just as the two of you were about to return to Antonio to milk him for more money, your phone rang obnoxiously from your pocket. It was Celaine's brother. You answered the phone, and were immediately greeted by his panicked voice. "You need to help me. Something's wrong with $sisname." [[Next->huh2]]

You took her hand and gave it a quick squeeze before releasing it again, giving her a small smile as you did so. "Thanks! Don't worry, $name, I'll win for sure." She flashed you a grin and a thumbs-up before raising her hand to begin playing the game, her usual energy never faltering during the interaction. It was actually sort of impressive how she could sustain this amount of excitability for so long. After throwing the darts and popping three of the balloons, Nadia let out a sudden whoop of joy, throwing her arms around you. "Yes, I won! Thanks for the luck, $name, you're the best." You smiled softly and gave her a pat on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Nadia, I know, I'm amazing." You joked. Something about her presence made it easier to relax. Maybe it was her cheerful disposition, or maybe it was just the general nostalgia of the scene around you both, but it felt nice. The two of you ran around the carnival, playing various games that, to your surprise, Nadia was actually great at. She ended up with at least five stuffed animals and even more useless trinkets than you could count. Just as the two of you were about to return to Antonio to milk him for more money, your phone rang obnoxiously from your pocket. It was Celaine's brother. You answered the phone, and were immediately greeted by his panicked voice. "You need to help me. Something's wrong with $sisname." [[Next->huh2]]

"Sure, why not?" You agreed. Despite having your inhibitions about going in an unmarked door in a public building, your curiosity greatly overpowered that feeling of reservation. Celaine grinned at you and, after glancing around to make sure nobody was nearby, pulled you through the door. You quickly realized that the space past it was incredibly small and underwhelming. It was just a closet, apparently for the cleaners of the building to use to store their supplies. Celaine, clearly expecting more space, had rushed in but, after stopping abrubtly, caught her foot on a mop in the corner. As she fell to the floor, she clung to the front of your shirt, dragging you down with her with a yelp of surprise. Once the two of you landed, you using your hands to hold yourself up over Celaine, the two of you dissolved into childish laughter. "While this position does do wonders for you, dear $name, I can't move my legs." She joked, at least, you think she was joking. She nudged you off her with her knee, pushing you in the stomach to help you gain more leverage. After getting upright again, Celaine gave you a slight smirk. "Aw, no need to get so flustered, honey." She said, noting your embarrassed expression. "I thought you looked adorable like that." Her tone sonded teasing, but something about the look in her eyes made you think otherwise as she slowly reached out to touch your hand. You swore you saw her inch a bit closer to you, too. "Actually, I-" the rest of her sentence was cut off by your ringing phone. It was Celaine's brother. You answered the phone, and were immediately greeted by his panicked voice. "You need to help me. Something's wrong with $sisname." [[Next->huh3]]

"We're probably not supposed to go in there, Cel." You said, shrugging her hand off you. Sure, you were curious, but you really didn't want to get arrested for tresspassing in a museum or something. She rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner, but still seemed happy. "Fine." Celaine dragged out the word. From the way she reacted, you'd think you were forcing her to go pick rice with her bare hands, but she quickly got over the disappointment. "Well, that just means we have to have a good time out here!" You visited just about every exhibit in that museum, and, at one point, Celaine even had some kids crowd around her because of the random trivia she was rattling off about, the words spilling out of her mouth like a waterfall. She thought it was just the cutest thing ever when one of them, a miniature history buff himself, asked for her autograph. She was always good with kids, probably because she spent half her life babysitting for her endlessly busy relatives. Just as the two of you were about to go find Mark and suggest getting something to eat, your phone rang obnoxiously from your pocket. It was Celaine's brother. You answered the phone, and were immediately greeted by his panicked voice. "You need to help me. Something's wrong with $sisname." [[Next->huh3]]

"I just realized that I don't know a lot about you." You commented. "Tell me about yourself, what's your family like?" Mark laughed softly, a pleasant sound that was, sadly, pretty rare to hear. "Now you sound like the therapist here." He joked, crossing one leg over the other before continuing. "There's not a lot to say. I don't have any siblings, as far as I know. My father came here from Botswana when he was five years old, and him and my mother have been married since the day they graduated. It sounds cheesy, I know. Their life was like a rom-com." You laughed a bit at that. Usually, the two of you didn't have conversations like this. It felt nice to actually talk outside of his office for once. "I know it's stupid but, growing up, I always wanted a love like theirs, minus the divorce, of course. I've only been in a relationship once before, and things with him didn't exactly work out very well." You spotted the beginnings of a frown on his face as he explained, something you had probably only seen a few times while knowing him. Shrugging, you leaned back on the bench. "I don't think it's stupid." Mark turned to you in badly-concealed surprise, raising an eyebrow. "Seriously? I-" the rest of his sentence was cut off by your ringing phone. It was Celaine's brother. You answered the phone, and were immediately greeted by his panicked voice. "You need to help me. Something's wrong with $sisname." [[Next->huh4]]

"How exactly do you and Antonio know each other?" You asked him, leaning back on the bench with a small yawn. Today had been pretty tiring. Mark hummed, as if deep in thought, before sighing. "We met through Nadia. She told him that I could help him, you know, because I'm a therapist, but he refuses to get any treatment for all his emotional baggage. Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to do with that guy." His words sounded teasing, but his tone was soft, almost remorseful, in a way. You nodded, a feeling of understanding coming over you. You knew all too well how people like that were. Even Celaine often refused help with emotional things, either because of either her ego or just not wanting to be a bother, so you figured that you could relate to the situation. "Huh. You two are pretty different, I wouldn't expect you to be friends in most cases." Mark laughed softly, a rare, but comforting sound. "Well, actually, we-" the rest of his sentence was cut off by your ringing phone. It was Celaine's brother. You answered the phone, and were immediately greeted by his panicked voice. "You need to help me. Something's wrong with $sisname." [[Next->huh4]]

ORANGE: Game info - character page, codex, credits. Populate these with what you like. GREEN: UI & game set-up elements. These can be edited to suit your needs. RED: Code. Everything in these passages should be labelled; things might break if you mess with them.

<<link "Character" "Character">><</link>> <<link "Codex" "Codex">><</link>> <<link "Credits" "Credits">><</link>> <<link "Back">><<if tags().includes("game-info")>><<goto $return>><<else>><<run Engine.backward()>><</if>><</link>>

<<set $chapter to "Prologue">>

Finding the truth.

Incendiary

An interactive fiction game.

Asher

You are $name $lastname, a 25 year old person with $haircolor hair. You have $facialhair facial hair and $piercings piercings, you have two younger siblings, named $sisname and $broname, and a best friend named Celaine Shafer. Your current goal is to find out what your mother made a deal for, and what you can do to prevent your death.

placeholder lmao

<ul> <li>Banner assets <a href="https://www.canva.com/">Canva</a></li> <li>Fonts <a href="https://fonts.google.com/">Google fonts</a></li> <li>Template <a href="https://nyehilism.itch.io/sugarcube-template">Nyehilism</a></li> </ul>

<<script>> var passages = document.getElementById("passages"); passages.scrollTop = 0; <</script>>  <<if tags().includes("title")>> <<elseif tags().includes("credits")>><h1>Credits</h1> <<elseif tags().includes("character")>> <h1>Character</h1> <<elseif tags().includes("codex")>> <h1>Codex</h1> <<else>><h1>$chapter</h1> <</if>>

<style> #ui-bar {display:none;} #passages {width:100vw;margin:0;background-image:var(--banner-top),var(--banner-bottom);background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:50%;background-position:top center, bottom center;overflow:hidden;scrollbar-width:none;font-family:var(--header-font);transition:0s;padding:0;} ::-webkit-scrollbar {width:0px;} .passage {text-align:center;transition:0s;} #passages a:before {content: none;} #story {margin-left:0;} h1 {text-align:center;margin-top:25vh;} @media screen and (max-width: 800px) {#story {margin:0;}} </style> <h1>Incendiary</h1> <<if Save.autosave.ok() and Save.autosave.has()>><<link "Resume Game">><<script>>Save.autosave.load()<</script>><</link>> | <</if>><<link "New Game" "Wake Up">><</link>> | <<link "Load Game">><<run UI.saves()>><</link>> | <<link "Settings">><<run UI.settings()>><</link>>

"What do you mean something's wrong with her?" You quickly respond, subconsciously leaning closer to your phone with anxiety. "I don't know what it is, but, um..." He trailed off and you caught a muffled, and very quiet, cough on his side of the phone. "She's sick, but I don't know what it is. It's been like a week since she started showing symptoms and she hasn't gotten any better no matter what I do." You furrow your eyebrows, and paused before speaking again. "She's been like this for a week and you didn't tell me?" You heard him stumble over his words on the other end of the line. "I didn't know what to tell you!" He finally manages to get out and you sigh, pulling away from the phone and slapping your hand to your forehead in frustration. "Whatever, I'll yell at you about it later." You mutter to nobody in particular. "Are you and $broname okay?" He makes a noise of agreement. "Yeah, we're both fine. It looks sort of like she has a bad cold or something, but it doesn't seem contagious for some reason. What should I do?" "Try to keep her as comfortable as you can, I might know what's making this happen. Just let me know if she gets any worse, okay?" After speaking with him for a few more minutes, you hung up the phone and groaned. This had to be because of your mother, didn't it? Your little sister just so happens to get irreversibly sick just as you're trying to find out what's going on with everything your family is involved in, really? It was too convenient, it would have been impossible in any other sitatuion. [[Next->writing this for the second time </3]]

After informing the others about your situation, the five of you sat in silence as you all pondered what to do next. Suddenly, Mark spoke up. "Why don't we tell Samuel about all this? We never did get any answers from him." After considering it for a while, the rest of your small group agreed, and off to the hospital you went. Luckily, the receptionist that day was the same as the one who was on duty when you all took him there in the first place, so she gladly informed you about his location. You arrived at the room just as a young woman exited it, sporting messy brunette hair and a pale complexion. She straightened when she saw you all, hastily smoothing down her hair. "You must be the people who helped my dad. I'm, um, Adia. Sorry we had to meet like this." Adia cleared her throat and held out her hand for you to shake, which you gratefully accepted. "I'll let you guys see him, I was just leaving anyway." She gave you a strained smile and slipped past your small group and down the hallway. "Oh, it's you all! Come on, sit down!" Samuel greeted all of you like old friends as you entered the room, grinning happily as if he hadn't just nearly died a short time before now. "I can't thank you all enough for saving my life. What can I do for you? Anything you'd like, it's yours." Mark sat beside him, giving the man a kind smile. "There's no need for that, we just want to ask you a few questions." [[Next->im so tired]]

Samuel nodded as you explained your situation to him, furrowing his brow, deep in thought. "Right, I understand. This happened to a friend of mine a few years back. I can only give you the same advice I gave him, to go see her." He reached for his wallet, groaning in pain as he did so, and pulled out an old, folded picture. Taking it in your hands, you unfolded it to see a photo of an older woman, smiling warmly at the camera as the wind blew through her salt-and-pepper hair. Turning it over, you noted the hastily scribbled address on the back. "Is this where she lives?" You ask Samuel, mostly wondering aloud. He nodded. "Her name is Hitomi Yamazaki. Her and her wife, Sonya Qizilbash are the most knowledgable people I know, they should be of much help to you. Tell them Sammy sent you." He half-joked, still smiling despite the gravity of what you all were currently experiencing and speaking about. Nadia bent down to give him a gentle hug. "Thank you so much. I hope your wounds heal fast, Mr. Bishop." "No need to be so formal, young lady. Just call me Sam." [[Next->pls end me]]

//Some might call her a hitman, some a mercenary, but she knew what she was. She was nothing more than another woman doing what she had to in order to provide for those she loved. Maybe if she got a good education like her father or started a family like her mother she could have made something of herself, but, by now, her future was set in stone. Nothing could be done to change it now, there was nothing she could do but let fate take its course. This job should be easy, she figured, just some helpless guy who just got out of surgery. This should be a breeze. It would have been, too, if she hadn't known about his daughter. Something about her values prevented her from easily ending those with families. Maybe it was just the way she was raised. She shook her head to herself, no getting distracted now. Not when she was this close. It was lucky for her that Samuel's room at this particular hospital just so happened to be next to a tree. This certainly made things easier, that was for sure. Adjusting the gun in her waistband, she leaned forward on the branch she perched on, preparing to jump for it. In just a few short moments, she had lept straight through that window. It was actually very simple. In the room, two shots to the head, out the window. Not difficult physically, but it did take quite a toll on her conscience. Not too far away from the hospital, a tall and elegant woman waited for her personal assassin to deliver the news of her latest kill, and to claim her payment. Just enough for one year.// [[Next->im suffering]]

Absolutely no part of you was happy that Sonya and Hitomi lived out in the middle of nowhere, especially not the newly-formed incredibly paranoid part of you that was convinced the whole world was out to get you, which it kind of was at this point. Celaine was talking the whole ride, in much contrast to the rest of you, who were, for the most part, as silent as possible. As you drove up the rocky driveway of the small house, some small part of your brain felt comforted by the homely touches like the flower garden by the front door and the mailbox, beautifully painted with flowers of all kinds. You all exited the car and watched Antonio knock on the door surprisingly softly, as if he didn't want to disturb them. The woman from your photo opened it up with a confused expression. "Can I help you, young man?" Antonio pulled out the picture, which he had taken earlier in order to drive the six of you to the location, and handed it to the woman. "Samuel sent us." Her face brightened and Hitomi opened the door wide. "Oh, come in, come in! Sonya, darling, we have visitors!" The group of you piled into the small house as Hitomi lead you to the living room, where another woman, who you assumed to be Sonya, sat, staring aimlessly out the window across the room from her. She nodded a greeting to you all, but stayed silent. Her wife plopped herself down into an armchair and picked up an embroidery project, cocking her head at you all. "What can I help you with?" [[Next->your mom]]

“They call her Belladonna because she entrances people with her beauty and grace, then murders them. She does it so cleanly that it’s almost as if she’s swallowed them whole. I’ve only ever met her once, and I pray that I never have to again. That girl is a little demon, I tell you.” Hitomi shakes her head at Sonya. “She is young, my dear. Give her time to learn right from wrong.” Sonya snorts at her wife’s comment, but doesn’t take her eyes off the window across the room from her. “She has had plenty of time. Don’t go seeking her out, you all.” She warns. “She will kill you so quickly that you won’t even have time to scream out your last words before you find that your heart has stopped.” Hitomi sighs and places her embroidery project on the small table next to her before standing, with a groan, and turning to you. "Listen, I can tell you are a smart bunch." She comments, her eyes kind as she smiles at the five of you. "I trust you will be careful once you do meet her." Nadia furrows her brow, leaning forward a bit as if she intends to walk closer to the older woman. "What do you mean by 'once' we meet her?" She asks, voice wavering ever so slightly. "If anybody would know what your mother has done to make you a target," Hitomi starts, directing her attention to you, "it would be her." Celaine groans, rolling her eyes in exasperation. “Are we ever gonna meet someone who actually helps and doesn’t just tell us to find somebody else?” She gripes. Hitomi laughs warmly at her frustration. “Oh, don’t worry. Just because Belladonna will know more than us doesn’t particularly mean we can’t be of any help. Come with me, my dears. There’s something you need to know.” This is the end of the story so far! Please save on this page to continue on the next update.

You, for what seemed like the millionth time that day, relayed your situation to the two women, who actually seemed remarkably unfazed where most would have been shocked. "I'm familiar with this." Hitomi said, not looking up from her project. "There's a lot I can tell you. Should I start with who will be following you?" She asked, before continuing to speak without waiting for an answer. "Her name is Ana Karina Forero, but she's better known in these circles as Belladonna. She's a beautiful young woman, but terrifyingly strong." She sighs before continuing to speak. "She's one of the best hunters //she// has, and she specialized in cases like these. Moreover, revenge killings. Belladonna is impossible to track, she moves at what seems like the speed of light. Most think of her as some sort of superhuman killing machine, but I'd like to think that she has some humanity in her." Sonya snorts with laughter. "Love, she's a monster. I wouldn't trust that girl with anything, let alone the life of another human being. She might have had some innocence in her younger days, but let's face it. Any drop of mercy that Belladonna once had was literally beaten out of her years ago. Do you know why they call her Belladonna?" She asks, clearly directing her question towards the five of you. When neither of you answers, Sonya continues to speak. [[Next->oldies]]