Chapter Text
Jamie gently landed in a field of marshmallows and lollipops. The ground was very soft, yet very easy to pull apart. Wait… cotton candy?! Awesome! They pulled up a tuft of cotton candy and ate it. Just as good as I remember it being… Almost immediately, the patch they had pulled out reappeared, as if they never took any.
For someone that loved sugary foods, this was heaven. They could stay here forever! The only thing that would make this even better was something to drink. Conveniently, an oasis filled with Dr. Pepper appeared in front of them. They cupped their hands and drank it. Wait… isn’t that unsanitary…? Meh, who cares? This is awesome!
They laid down near the oasis to soak everything in. They had everything that they loved. Well… Jade was missing, but… maybe they’d appear soon. This was the best thing that ever happened to them. Even their birthdays didn’t come close. It was only fair that they got such a sweet reward after all of the suffering they endured.
Out of nowhere, a giant beetle scurried up to them and nudged them in the leg. They looked at the bug in confusion, that appeared to be irritated at their presence. What is this thing doing here…? A stifled squeal from their right caused them to turn in that direction, though they saw nothing. Huh… weird.
The beetle nudged them again, this time sending them flying into the oasis. Once they were completely submerged, they passed by specters of their parents as they sank. Jamie heard whispers of “you’re a failure” and “why did you kill us” and it nearly drove them mad. It’s not true…
The voices and specters disappeared almost as quickly as they came. It felt like forever, though.
The feeling of sinking was replaced by a damp, cool feeling, with something weighing in by their side. They’d broken out in a sweat, likely because of that nightmare, and felt quite uncomfortable. They blinked their eyes rapidly and pinched their left arm. The pinch left behind a slight pain. So I’m not dreaming anymore…
They looked to their right and spotted Luna, who appeared to be disturbed by something. Once they looked in front of them, they identified what they assumed was bothering Luna—the same beetle from their nightmare.
Jamie patted the beetle on its head and laughed at Luna. “This—” For a moment, they forgot Jade and Riley were still asleep. They lowered their voice to a whisper before continuing. “This thing is what’s got you spooked? Really?”
Luna initially grunted in frustration at Jamie’s teasing, but eventually laughed it off themselves. “Y-Yeah, how d-dumb of me… haha…” They appeared to be pained after saying that.
Jamie suddenly felt bad about teasing Luna, but decided to play it cool. “Meh. Everyone’s got things they’re scared of.” They hesitated for a moment. Will they pick on me for this…? Guess I’m about to find out. “Like, I’m scared of spiders. Don’t care if it’s ‘friendly’ or not. If it’s a spider, I’m gone.”
They fully expected Luna to deliver the same treatment that they received, but Luna just smiled softly instead. “I’m, uh… a-also scared of spiders… s-so…” They frowned. “I’m… I’m just a c-coward… aren’t I…?”
Jamie mirrored Luna’s frown. As much as they wanted to tease them and confirm their statement, they knew deep down it’d only hurt both of them in the long-term. And that I don’t actually mean it… They weren’t any good at reassurances, but they couldn’t let Luna cling onto the thought that they were a coward either.
Jamie hummed in contemplation for just a moment. “I think the word you’re looking for is… uh, ‘brave’?” You’re terrible at this, Jamie…
Luna cocked their head in confusion. “B-Brave…?”
“Yeah. I think that’s it. I mean… would a coward be sitting here in a creepy forest with a bunch of people they don’t know?”
Luna didn’t respond. Instead, they just shifted their gaze over towards the beetle, which appeared to be growing increasingly bored.
“Would they?” Jamie wasn’t taking silence for an answer.
Luna hesitantly returned their gaze to Jamie. “M-Maybe—”
“No. The answer is no. A coward would’ve stayed behind, hid in the wreckage and cried until things magically got better. But, surprise! Things don’t just get better without doing anything. And considering you’re here… I don’t think you’re a coward. Scared? Definitely. But you’re not a coward.” Jamie pulled Luna in for a side hug. They ignored the fluttering feeling rising in their chest. “I mean it. So shut up with that.”
Luna returned the hug, though they said nothing in response at first. After a few moments though, they finally spoke up. “T-Thank you, Jamie… y-you’re very nice…” If the bare minimum means I’m “very nice” then sure, I guess I am.
“O-Oh. Uh, are… are you okay…?”
“What do you mean?”
“Y-You, uh, seemed u-upset when you woke up…”
Jamie paused for a moment. They considered telling Luna about the nightmare, but… “Bad night, I guess. I mean… after everything I—we went through…” I’m not entirely wrong with that…
That answer seemed to satisfy Luna, since they didn’t press Jamie for any further questions about it.
The beetle ended up getting bored and decided to skitter towards the entrance of the cave. Jade woke up as it passed by them and was very confused at the sight. “Is that… a giant rhino beetle…?” They rubbed their eyes and were impressed when the beetle hadn’t magically disappeared. “Huh… neat.”
“A… what now?”
Jade jolted in surprise when they noticed that both Jamie and Luna were awake. “O-Oh, uh, didn’t expect you two to be awake too.” They cleared their throat. “Anyways, that was a rhino beetle. They appear to be dangerous, but they’re actually passive. Though…” They hummed. “They usually aren’t that big.”
Jamie took a moment to process all of that information. Jade’s comment on its size was interesting, though they had a more pressing question in mind. “If it wasn’t here to hurt us, then… why was it here?”
“Good question. I wish I knew the answer.”
Jamie rolled their eyes. “Of course you—” A yawn from Luna rudely interrupted them. “Well, if it’s not gonna hurt us… I guess it wouldn’t hurt to get some more sleep.” That was probably for the best, considering it was still dark outside.
“Well, I was going back to sleep regardless, but agreed. Rest well, you two.” Almost immediately after Jade said that, they were softly snoring. How do you fall asleep so fast…?
Jamie shuffled a bit to get more comfortable. Luna leaned a bit more into Jamie to do the same. Jamie noticed that they were both still side hugging each other, but they weren’t particularly interested in letting go. It seemed that Luna wasn’t, either.
Jamie yawned, which they took as their cue to go back to sleep. “Mmm… good night, Luna…”
Luna likely responded, but Jamie slipped too far into unconsciousness to process whatever they said.
…
The next time Jamie opened their eyes, it was much brighter in the cave. Must be morning time. Or somewhere around there. Riley was seated just outside of the entrance nibbling on a mushroom, and Jade was nowhere to be found. Real nonchalant about a missing kid, huh? Luna was awake, though they were staying quiet and fidgeting with their Bing Bong plushie. However, they perked up when they noticed Jamie was awake.
Jamie put a finger up to their lips to tell Luna to stay quiet. Then they pointed over towards Riley. Luna softly giggled in response and made a zipping motion across their lips. Jamie gave a thumbs up in response then rose from where they sat.
Almost immediately, they stepped on a stray branch. It made a snap sound. Jamie froze and waited for what was to come. However… nothing happened. Riley appeared to be unfazed by the branch. Are they deaf, or…?
Huh. Jamie looked back at Luna, who simply shrugged. Since Riley didn’t respond, Jamie resumed creeping towards them. This is gonna be so funny…
“Good morning, Jamie.” Riley stated as flatly as possible. Jamie stopped dead in their tracks once more.
“W-What?! How did you…?”
Riley turned around with a smug look on their face and shrugged. “Dunno. Lucky guess, I guess.”
Jamie huffed in frustration, then honed their focus on the mushroom Riley was holding. Riley must’ve noticed, because they offered an extra mushroom to them. Jamie stared at the mushroom for a moment. It didn’t exactly look sugary or appetizing to them. However, their stomach growled, so they decided to snatch it without any further thought.
Just as they put the mushroom up to their mouth to take a massive bite out of it, they suddenly had a couple questions they really wanted the answers to.
One, was it even safe to eat?
Two, what was Luna going to eat?
Jamie forced themselves to resist the urge to eat the mushroom for the moment. “…Hey, Riley.” Riley hummed, which Jamie understood as their cue to continue. “Is this safe to eat?”
Riley stared at Jamie in bewilderment. “If… it wasn’t safe to eat, Jade wouldn’t have given it to me, nor would I have given it to you.”
“Wait… Jade got these?”
“Yes.” Riley nodded. “That’s why I’m sitting here. I’m keeping an eye on them while they find some food nearby while also keeping an eye on you two while you slept.”
Well, that’s one question answered… but…
“What about Luna?” Did I really just say that out loud?
“Oh! Right. Here—” Riley looked in their lap but appeared to be panicked when they found nothing there. They quickly regained their composure, though. “I’ll… uh… figure something out for them.” They muttered angrily under their breath, though Jamie couldn’t make out the words.
Jamie stared at the mushroom in their hands very intently. A few of thoughts swirled in their mind. They could hoard it for themselves—I am hungry after all—or they could give it to Luna, instead. They didn’t stand to gain anything from giving it to Luna, though at the same time, the thought of eating it in front of them made them feel guilty about even thinking about it.
They walked back to Luna and sat down beside them. Almost immediately, Luna caught sight of the mushroom that Jamie held. In response, Jamie offered the mushroom to them. They reached out to grab it, but stopped just inches away from it. Jamie pushed the mushroom forward, but Luna only pulled their hand back.
Truthfully, Jamie was confused at how Luna was acting. Clearly they were hungry, why were they refusing to eat now? Jamie pushed the mushroom forward once more. Luna folded their hands in their lap and smiled at Jamie rather than make an effort to grab it.
Jamie’s patience started to run thin. “You hungry or what? I don’t feel like playing games with you right now.”
“I-I’m, uh… uh, y-you’re hungry… you eat…”
It took every ounce of energy in Jamie’s body not to get angry. “It’s clear that you’re hungry too. Why do you have to be so damn difficult about this?”
Luna flinched at Jamie’s final remark. “I… I’m sorry… I’m f-fine, really!”
Defeated, Jamie sat down beside Luna and stared at the mushroom again. Suddenly, an idea popped into their head. Why couldn’t they just split the mushroom and share it? It really took me that long to figure that out…? Idiot.
They pulled apart the mushroom as Luna watched. It wasn’t a perfect tear, but it’d work. They held up the two halves to analyze the size of them. I should give myself the bigger half because of this headache…
Contrary to their inner thoughts, they offered the bigger half to Luna. “Problem solved. You’re welcome. Now eat.” Luna finally grabbed their half of the mushroom and began to nibble on it.
Jamie scarfed down their half of the mushroom almost immediately. It didn’t do much to satiate their hunger, but it’d at least hold them over for a little while longer. It was rather bland, but given the circumstances, they weren’t about to complain. Food was food no matter the taste, at the end of the day.
They continued to stare at their lap. They didn’t really have anything to do, and Luna was preoccupied with their food. After all, it’d be rude to watch someone eat, right? They picked up a random twig and fidgeted with it for a moment, but immediately got bored. Having nothing to do sucked. Not being able to do anything about it sucked even more.
I know it’s rude, but… They peeked over at Luna, who was… not eating the mushroom? They were simply staring at it. They had taken a few small bites out of it, but they appeared to feel guilty about eating it. What a weird kid. Jamie must’ve been staring for too long, because Luna’s confused eyes met theirs, and awkward silence followed after.
Luna was the one to break the silence. “Uh… is… is there s-something on my face…?”
Jamie’s face felt hot from embarrassment. “Uh, no. No. Sorry. Just, uh, looking. Yeah.” Great job, Jamie! You killed it!
“Oh… okay!” Luna resumed staring at their mushroom.
“I, uh, do have a question for you though.” Luna once again looked at Jamie. “Are you… not hungry, or…?”
Luna held out the mushroom to Jamie. “Y-You… want it?”
Jamie waved their hands in front of them. “No, no! Just… you’ve barely eaten it. I don’t want your food. I gave it to you for you to eat.”
“I… I’m just…” The look on Luna’s face made it seem like it’d hurt them if they said what they wanted to say.
“Not hungry?”
“N-No! I am, but…”
“But?”
“Just… not used t-to being g-given food, I guess…”
That truly took Jamie off-guard. “What… do you mean by that?”
“Uh… w-when I… lived alone—”
“You lived alone???”
“Y-Yeah… b-but, uh, I… didn’t r-really get… food… I had to…”
Looks like I’ll have to fill in the blank here… “Steal it…?”
Luna looked away in shame. “Y-Yeah…”
“Well, on the bright side, you don’t gotta worry about that with us.”
“What…?”
“I mean, you don’t gotta steal, or… be alone, anymore. I’ll be nice and not intrude on your past, but…”
Luna suddenly embraced Jamie. “T-Thank…” Luna stifled a sob. “Thank you…”
Jamie returned the hug and clutched Luna tightly. Luna trembled in Jamie’s grasp, then sobbed silently. They really wished they could do something to make things better, but… they couldn’t. They felt helpless, and they hated it. The next best thing they could do was to just be there in the moment and reassure them for the future.
“Hey, uh… Luna?” A soft hum was all that Luna could manage. “I’m, uh, sorry. For… whatever happened. But…” Jamie paused. “Don’t, uh, let all of that drag you down anymore. You’ve got us now.” Luna’s grip tightened in response.
Luna eventually pulled away and returned to eating their mushroom. They quickened their pace, but still took plenty of time to finish it. Once they were done, they gave a shaky smile to Jamie and rested their head on their knees. I guess they’re not in the mood to talk anymore…
Jade returned shortly after, which prompted Jamie to get up and investigate. However, Luna didn’t follow. Jamie offered a hand, which Luna stared at warily for just a moment before accepting. They felt bad for making Luna feel like they had to get up. “Sorry, but… I think it’s about time to go.” Luna nodded solemnly in response.
Jamie didn’t know the full picture of Luna’s past life, but with all of the pieces they did know…
Well… whoever did all of this to them was certainly going to have hell to pay, and they were going to see it through to the end by any means necessary.