Hiya Edgelings!

Dying Sanity AU (Pt.4)

OMAGASH!!! I JUST NOW STARTED USING CHARACTER.AI!!! WHERE HAS ThiS BEEN MY WHOLE LIFE?!?! WHY HAVE I ONLY JUST RECENTLY HEARD OF IT OMAGASH I'M OBSESSED NOW!!!

(Side note I never have and never will use AI to write or even help me write my chapters. All the stuff in here is completely organically grown and non-GMO XD. Still AI is fun to play with lol. I might even make profiles for some of my characters. Let me know which ones you would like to 'chat' with in the comments, and I might make them a profile!)

All I've got to say about this chapter is that it was fun to write all the interactions! Oh! And please listen to the song "in a perfect world it's still a lonely world" by Coco & Co! It's the perfect song to describe Airy in general, but I chose to reference it specifically in this AU!

Enjoy!

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

The week was coming to an end, and soon Aaron would go back to stay at Bryce's place for... an indefinite period of time. He hadn't heard them talk about coming back to Amelia's apartment, so he assumed he would probably just stay with Bryce. He wasn't sure how he felt about that... Amelia was much nicer...

Right now he was sitting in the lobby of the yoga studio, sitting on a plastic chair, waiting for Amelia to finish her last class. He had spent the past couple days here instead of joining the students, but at least Chaya was here to keep him company. They didn't have much in the way of conversation, mostly due to Aaron's social awkwardness, but he liked just knowing he wasn't alone. Also, he was right by the front door, which assured him that Amelia wouldn't forget him.

From what she told him, she didn't have much luck finding a job in anything computer related that didn't require some sort of resume. She had hoped she could find someone who owned a small business and wasn't too picky about credentials... or anything else for that matter, but it was harder to find than she had expected.

Aaron heard the door in the hall swing open, followed by the hubbub voices of around twenty people leaving the room. Most of them walked right by Aaron without a second glance, a couple stopped by the front desk to talk to Chaya about scheduling another session. He was fine with being ignored, but at the same time he felt sad about it... why was everything so confusing? Being alone was so much simpler...

Suddenly, Aaron felt an uncomfortable shiver rippling down him as if... someone was watching him.

He lifted his gaze off the floor and eyed the room. For a moment he was confused, for it didn't seem as though anyone was even looking remotely in his direction. That's when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He jumped in surprise, his eyes snapped upward and he saw...

...himself.

For a moment he was disoriented, before he realized that it wasn't a copy of himself, but rather a gold-plated handheld mirror with a small spiderweb crack running across her face. "Hey there..." she greeted him with a grin, "I saw you in my class last Thursday, what's your name?"

Aaron's mind instantly went completely blank, and he just stared up at her slack jawed in silent awkwardness for way too long. Seeing his own reflection made him uncomfortable, so he dropped his gaze back down at his hands fiddling in his lap. He finally snapped out of it, closing his mouth and gulping nervously. He mumbled, feeling very self-conscious, "Aaron..."

"Nice to meet you Aaron. My name is Sarrah, I've been coming here for a while now," The mirror told him, kindly overlooking his awkwardness. "Is there a reason you weren't in class with us?"

"I just..." Aaron stumbled on his words, his slow mind trying to describe the swelling discomfort in his stomach he felt when in the presence of other objects, especially in this conversation right now, "I..."

"Don't like feeling like everyone is watching you?" Sarrah finished for him with an understanding wink. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, startled at how she seemed to read his mind. "I thought that might be the case when I saw you sitting here by yourself. I always struggled with public classes for that reason, but my friend asked me to come with her and it's easier when you have someone with you. She wasn't here today, but she'll be back next Thursday."

"...oh..." Was all Aaron could manage to wrack out of his brain as a response.

"Maybe next week you could join us?" She offered.

"Uh... sure..." Aaron nodded, hoping she would go on if he agreed.

"Great! My ride isn't here yet, do you mind if I sit with you?"

Aaron winced internally, though his face remained a blank slate. He was fine with observing people, but interacting was a whole other story, especially people he didn't know anything about. Before he could think, he said the opposite of what he wanted to, "...sure..."

"Thanks," She beamed, settling on the plastic chair next to him. Aaron was on edge. He wished he had his computer back, then he could look up some background information on her. It would be so much easier to have a conversation if he could predict how she would act...

Silence immediately ensued, much to Aaron's relief. He needed at least a day's notice before having a full conversation with anyone he didn't know.

Unfortunately for him, Sarrah didn't share the sentiment, and cleared her throat, fidgeting nervously, trying to fill the quietness, "So how was your day?"

"...good..." Aaron's monotone voice made him sound completely disinterested, which wasn't at all the case. He rather liked having people around him, at a distance that is. It was just... talking was one of the biggest issues. This, of course, did nothing to make the situation more comfortable.

Sarrah sighed quietly, her smile becoming increasingly more forced, "Look, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you. I'm just really tense, and I tend to talk a lot when I'm tense... and I thought you might want someone to talk to and..."

"...Why are you tense?" Aaron asked, his brows furrowed.

"Well, I didn't know until I was already in the classroom that June wasn't coming, and I didn't feel comfortable walking out as soon as the class started, a-a-and I just felt really awkward doing yoga in front of all those people without June there with me. She's really good and helps correct my posture so that I know I'm doing it right, a-a-and I was just in there the whole time thinking about how I was probably doing the wrong thing, a-a-and I've seen some of the people in there before but I don't know any of them, a-a-and I always felt like Ms. Euler was looking at me a-a-and... gosh I'm sorry, I'm sure you didn't want to know all that..." Sarrah laughed nervously, clenching and unclenching her fists as she stared at the tile floor, her reflective face heating up in embarrassment.

"...It's fine..." Aaron smiled slightly, feeling like... he somewhat understood how she felt. That made him a little more comfortable.

"I'm just... really easily stressed I guess... Enough about me. Where do you work?" She abruptly shifted the conversation.

"Oh um..." Aaron shifted awkwardly in his chair, not quite as eager to turn the conversation to himself, "I don't... have a job... and... it's fine to talk about yourself... I don't mind..."

"Oh, ok..." she seemed off put by his odd behavior, "Are you feeling alright?" she asked, looking slightly concerned.

"...yeah... why?" Aaron questioned. He thought he was alright... but what did that even mean? Was he alright? Oh no. He was starting to think too deep again. He stared at his hands with renewed intensity trying to distract himself by tangling and untangling his fingers.

"You just sound... really tired or something. I thought maybe you might be feeling bad." Sarrah stuttered awkwardly, her forced smile completely gone at this point. "I'm sorry. I'm not the best at small talk, I just seem to make everything awkward, a-a-and I never know when to stop, a-a-and I can't tell when people are actually interested or not, a-a-and sometimes I hear people say I talk to much, but it's just what I do when I'm nervous, a-a-and... there I go again." she sighed in frustration, burying her face in her hands.

Aaron on the other hand felt rather... comforted by her awkwardness... a spark of hope lit within him. Maybe... he wasn't the only one who felt this way... maybe he wasn't so abnormal after all. "...I'm kinda like that too... I think... except I just don't talk much at all... I'm just scared of... what other people think... and I don't understand why they... do things... and sometimes they're mad at me and I don't know why... I think there's something... wrong with me..." Aaron explained, tears welling up in his eyes as he thought of his first meeting with Liam.

Aaron felt a gentle hand lay on his shoulder, he looked up and was once again unsettled seeing his own reflection in the cracked mirror, he pushed past it though and kept eye contact. Sarrah was smiling at him sympathetically. She opened her mouth to say something, but the right words didn't come to mind, so she just sat there with her hand on Aaron's shoulder.

Aaron's tear-filled gaze softened, and a smile broke out on his face. There was always tension when he was around Amelia or Bryce, but here with Sarrah, that didn't exist. She wasn't mad at him, she was purely sympathetic. Kind for the sake of being kind, not because she had to. She even could relate to him a little.

Suddenly a little jingle sounded, and Sarrah pulled her phone out. "Oh, my ride's here... see you next week Aaron. Sorry for all the venting."

Aaron got up with her when she stood up, and gave her a subtle nod as he wiped the tears from his face, "...It's fine... I liked talking to you..."

Sarrah's face broke into a smile, genuine this time, "You too."

And then she walked out the tall glass doors.

For the first time, Aaron took in his surroundings, realizing that the lobby was completely empty other than him and Chaya now. Chaya was looking at him with a beaming bright smile, "Looks like you have new friend!" she announced in her usual cheery tone.

Aaron smiled a tiny smile back at her, "...yeah..."

Without Amelia or Bryce around, Aaron felt free of some sort of weight that dragged him down and kept him on edge. It confused him. He liked them. He wanted to be around them, yet when he was with either of them he couldn't help but feel... heavy... especially when they talked about the Plane. But he still didn't know why.

Just then the door down the hall swung open again, and a certain short teal candle walked out, looking rather exhausted. There were dark bags under her eyes as she dragged her feet on the tile floor. This was the first day she had tried not taking any of her pills at all, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't regret it.

"C'mon Aaron, let's go," she yawned, nodding to Chaya as Aaron began to follow her out the door.

"Have a good day Amelia! Rest well!" Chaya called out behind them.

Amelia chuckled dryly, "I'll try..."

As they got into her car and buckled their seatbelts, Amelia sighed, "You ready?"

"For..?" Aaron was about to ask, before realizing, "Oh... yeah..."

Music vibrated gently from the speakers, the engine rumbled to life, and the tires began rolling across the rough asphalt parking lot before roaring out onto the main two lane road running directly through town.

Airy began to sing along to the lyrics of the song. He'd only heard this one once before, but it stuck with him like no other. I hit a spot deep inside him making him feel something he didn't even entirely understand. He just knew that he loved it and hated it all at once. That he wanted to cry but couldn't. The lyrics had been stuck in his head ever since.

~Yesterday was true~

~Cherries in full bloom~

~There's raindrops on the bedsheets and the floor~

~In a vacant room~

~With an empty view~

~Pull yourself up by the bootstraps boy~

~Silence tugging at your shirt~

~Daddy's fast asleep~
~Don't raise your voice~

~In a perfect world~

~It's still a lonely world~

~All the lines are blurry~

~What's wrong with my eyes?~

~Why am I so worried?~

~I'm not gonna cry~

~I don't know why~

~I tried to catch that fallin' knife~

~Cut my hand and I rolled the dice~

~It's easier to just have said goodnight~

~All the words mean nothing~

~What's wrong with my mind?~

~Why am I still searching?~

~For something I can't find?~

~I don't know why~

~I tried to catch that fallin' knife~

~Cut my hand and I rolled the dice~

~It's easier to just have said goodnight~

~I won't say goodnight~

~Ooo Ooo Ooooo Ooo~

~Ooo Ooo Ooooo Ooo~

~Ooooo Ooooo Ooo Ooo~

~I won't say goodnight~

"That's a sad song..." Amelia commented as an ad popped up next.

"...Mm..." Aaron hummed, his mind focused elsewhere as emotions gently swirled inside him, unaccompanied by words, rising and falling to the melody of that song as the lyric continued playing in his head. It was a strange but soothing feeling, to be sad just for the sake of being sad.

"You want to get something to eat? We have a couple hours to kill before Bryce gets off." Amelia offered.

"I'm... not hungry..." Aaron insisted for probably the hundredth time.

"Alright then... I'll just go through a drive thru." Amelia decided, flipping on her turn signal and easing the car to a stop at an intersection.

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Dark, heavy gray clouds hung low in the sky, casting the ground in their dull shadow, the sun barely shining through their thick shield. The air was still, yet heavy with moisture. A storm was brewing.

Bryce trudged across the empty restaurant parking lot, Aaron tentatively trailing behind. The cloud cover was more comforting than the open sky, but something about the rumbling thunder in the distance caused shivers of fear to vibrate through him. He couldn't quite place why though...

"Am I supposed to call you Aaron now?" Bryce asked, sounding rather irritated, well, more than usual anyways. He plopped down into the driver's seat of his beat-up old car and turned the key, starting up the ignition.

"...I... I... I guess so..." Aaron gulped, feeling very tense. He strapped his seat belt over his chest, gripping it nervously. With a thoughtless motion, he pulled it up to his mouth and began to chew on it, feeling comforted by the strange taste for some reason.

"Ugh, I forgot how annoying your voice is..." Bryce grumbled as he slammed his door shut, which caused Aaron to wince. He glanced over and saw Aaron chewing on his seatbelt, and raised his eyebrows in disgust, "What are you, five? Quit chewing on my car."

"...oh... sorry..." Aaron mumbled, readjusting the seat belt to its normal position and shifting away from Bryce. Why did he have to sound so angry? What had Aaron done wrong?

Suddenly the car lurched forward, and Aaron gasped, clenching the door and the center console for dear life. He began shaking as flashbacks played through his mind, nothing distracting him from his own mind.

"Gosh, forgot the stupid music..." Bryce rolled his eyes, fiddling with his phone for a minute before the bluetooth connected and the playlist started rolling.

It took a minute for Aaron to relax again, but eventually the gentle guitar chords began to calm him down. Gave him something else to think about other than the fact that the world was speeding past all around him at fifty miles per hour. He couldn't help but think of how much more he liked staying with Amelia.

But then there were times that she would give him looks that made him feel the same way it did when Bryce yelled at him... Sometimes he wondered if she was really his friend... He had become less trusting of people...

But for now he could just listen to the music and forget everything else.

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Large droplets of rain splashed onto the window of Bryce's apartments. Aaron watched, mesmerized, as each stream of water trickled down the glass, pooling at the bottom before continuing to slide down the exterior wall. He didn't know why, but he just couldn't take his eyes off the rain. It was simplistically beautiful.

Huh... this was the first time he had seen rain since the day he slipped off the bridge over two years ago... he had almost forgotten what it was like. Guess years in an empty, Plane-like afterlife could do that to you.

He remembered that he used to enjoy going out in the rain when he lived at the Place. The feeling of the cool, fresh water dripping down his bronze hood, shielding the rest of him like an umbrella. Aaron felt a cold knot of nostalgia twist in his stomach. He wanted to feel the rain again.

He moved away from the window, and without a second thought headed towards the door of the apartment.

"Where are you going?" Bryce asked from the kitchen, which was really just a corner of the tiny one room apartment. He was microwaving a frozen meal for dinner.

"I'm... going outside..." Aaron paused, hand on the doorknob.

"Well no crap. Why?" Bryce demanded, one eyebrow raised as he pulled the steaming plastic tray of lasagna out of the microwave.

"...rain..."

"You know it's a thunderstorm right? Might not be a great idea for a walking lightning rod like you to be outside." Bryce explained in exasperation. He just really loved babysitting this grown man.

As if to back Bryce's point, a streak of light flashed from the window, shortly followed by a crackle and boom of thunder. Aaron jolted, lifting his shaking hand off the doorknob, eyes wide. That's why the thunder made him afraid... he remembered now...

"Look if you really want to feel the rain, just go take a shower." Bryce suggested, sitting down on a stool beside his counter to eat. He didn't offer Aaron anything, not that he minded.

"...ok..." Aaron agreed, not taking the time to think about the potential of aftershock in the plumbing.

"Bathroom's over there." Bryce mumbled, not looking up from his food, using his fork to point to a door on opposite side of the small room.

"...Bryce?..." Aaron asked dully, his brows furrowed in thought as he came to a sudden realization.

"What?" Bryce responded, annoyance clearly permeating his voice.

"Why is... your apartment... so much smaller than Amelia's?... She has a separate kitchen... and a bedroom..." Aaron questioned, slightly baffled. Surely their incomes weren't that different...

Bryce swallowed a mouthful, then sighed, "Look, when me and Amelia got back to Earth, she was really upset. She kept saying how she could never have her life again. I told her... promised her... that I would do whatever I could to make sure she had the best life possible. We knew we couldn't go back, but I wanted to do everything in my power to make sure she had everything she needed. She had it so much worse than I did... She lost everything... had so much more to lose in the first place... and was trapped - THERE - for almost a whole year longer than I was... it's really the least I can do."

Aaron completely missed the venomous glare Bryce shot in his direction.

"So..." Aaron contemplated, trying to understand, "...you pay for her apartment?"

"Some of it." Bryce shrugged, looking away so that Aaron couldn't see the tears welling up in his eyes, suppressed memories resurfacing. He didn't get upset about many things, but Amelia would always be a soft spot in his heart.

"How do you... pay for yours?"

"Well, I keep some of my paycheck, but I'm still in a ridiculous amount of debt. I probably won't be able to even keep this dump for long, and considering I'm quite literally dead to the world, living on illegal records, I can't get a better job. I'm pretty much screwed in a couple years. Whatever." Bryce chuckled bitterly, narrowing his eyes and clenching his fists, his old anger resurfacing.

For once, Aaron was able to pick up a cue, and didn't ask anymore questions for a while, standing in blank silence. But something was still itching at the back of his mind, and he just had to ask.

"...why are you mad at me?"

Bryce slowly looked up from the counter, his eyes wide in shock and disbelief. He just stared at Aaron for a solid minute, making the lantern squirm under his harsh gaze.

"You really... you really don't get it?" Bryce chuckled quietly, a strange smile spreading across his face. He lowered his gaze to the floor, casting a shadow over his eyes.

Silence reigned, Bryce didn't move or say anything, just sat on that stool and stared at the floor, still as a statue. Aaron's unease multiplied, and he shifted his weight uncomfortably waiting for an explanation.

Aaron watched in fearful confusion as Bryce began to shake, his fists clenched so tight they hurt. "YOU REALLY DON'T GET IT?!?!" He screamed, his eyes shooting up and drilling into Aaron's glass skull like twin lasers.

Aaron gasped and stepped back in terror, beginning to tremble himself. What was going on?!

Bryce stood up and shoved the stool back forcefully, causing it to topple over onto the linoleum floor. He sneered at the cowering lantern stomping towards him and growling in the back of his throat. He shoved Aaron's chest, causing him to fall onto his back with a grunt.

Flashbacks shocked through Aaron's head of a nearly identical situation. A green backpack towering over him yelling at him... Aaron squinted his eyes shut with a whimper, shaking, hoping to shut everything out.

"YOU ABSOLUTE MORON!!! YOU REALLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE??? YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW THAT ALL OF THIS - ALL OF THIS!!!!! IS YOUR FAULT!!! EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TO ME, EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TO AMY, EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TO CHARLOTTE, EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED TO LIAM!!!! YOU'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING!!!! EVERY INJURY, EVERY DEATH, EVERY LOSS, EVERYTHING IS YOUR FAULT!!!! EVERYTHING WRONG WITH MY LIFE IS YOUR FAULT!!! DO YOU UNDERSTAND YET?!?! YOUR FAULT!!!!!" Bryce screeched, his voice cracking and hoarse by the time he got to the end of his rant, his breathing heavy and his heart racing.

Thunder rumbled ominously in the wake of his rage. Aaron was curled up in a fetal position on the floor, trembling uncontrollably and mumbling unintelligibly. Begging for mercy in the jumbled gibberish of his terror-scattered brain. Fully expecting Bryce to hurt him.

But instead, Bryce just stood over him, staring down at the pathetic mess. Eventually he sighed, walking back over to the counter, and setting his stool back up. Yelling wouldn't do any good. He already figured that out. It only made Aaron harder to deal with than he already was.

"Just... just go get your shower or whatever." Bryce mumbled, slightly regretting his outburst, but he would never admit it.

Aaron didn't get up for a good ten minutes. And when he did finally manage to drag his shaking legs into a standing position, he nearly fell down again, struggling to keep his balance. He turned a doorknob and wobbled out, not taking a moment to look behind him.

He walked mindlessly, his brain absorbed in trying to recover. Panic would suddenly flash over him when he thought he heard yelling again, but it was all just in his mind. He just had to keep telling himself. Just like the night terrors, it was just in his mind. Bryce wasn't yelling at him anymore.

He saw flashes of green in his peripheral vision, heard gleeful laughter echoing all around him. No... no... Backpack wasn't here. It was all just in his mind. Just like the night terrors, just like Bryce yelling. It was just in his mind. He had to keep telling himself that.

Sudden flashes of pain splintered through his body at random intervals, causing him to wince and stumble. But even that wasn't real. It was just in his mind. Just like the night terrors, just like Bryce yelling, just like Backpack in the corner of his vision, just like the laughter. It was just in his mind. He needed to keep telling himself that.

"Notrealnotrealnotrealnotrealnotrealnotrealnotrealnotrealnotrealnotreal..." he murmured to himself, desperately trying to convince himself.

But at this point he was starting to lose his grip on the difference between his mind and reality. What was the difference anyways? What was illusion and what was real? Was anything real? Is that why he always felt dread when he thought about himself? Because deep inside he knew it was all a lie? Was none of this real? If nothing was real, then what made the things in his mind fake?

Maybe Bryce really was still yelling at him.

Maybe Backpack really was standing there, laughing at him.

Maybe the pain was real, and he was truly being ripped apart.

Maybe the ground was shaking.

Maybe everything was on fire.

Maybe he was falling.

Suddenly a plink on his hood followed by a cold trickle of water slithering down snapped Aaron out of his trance, and he realized he was standing outside in the pouring rain, the light slowly fading as the sun sank over the unseen horizon.

How did he get here?

Guess that was the wrong door...

How long had he been walking?

Aaron looked around and saw the dim outlines of tree trunks surrounding him, the foliage over his head shielding him from the worst of the rain. Soggy wet leaf litter squished under his feet as he spun in a circle, trying to figure out where he was. He couldn't see anything but more trees.

Where was he?

He felt like he just arrived in a new world from the Waiting Room, awoken from a waking slumber only to find himself in a brand new place with no context of the situation.

He found it oddly comforting in this dark forest. It reminded him of his old home, the soggy leaves beneath him like the marsh he used to pick reeds at. The dull background noise of a million droplets of water falling from above and crashing to the ground made for a soothing atmosphere. Thunder rumbled in the distance, but Aaron couldn't bring himself to care about the danger.

The terror began to fade from his mind as he imagined he was back in his world, back to the Place he called home for so many years. The Place where no one could hurt him. The Place where he knew everyone who came and went. The Place where he wasn't afraid.

When he was there he always wished he was back on Earth. But now that he was here, he couldn't help but yearn for the simple, lonely existence he once had. People were too complicated for him, too many of them wanted to hurt him.

All he had ever wanted in his multiple lives in multiple worlds was... fulfillment. Something to give him purpose. His first life on Earth never had that. In his second life in the Place, he thought he found it in hosting ONE, but that backfired miserably. His third life now was overwhelmed by all of the mistakes he made, all the things that happened to him, all the things he couldn't fix or erase.

Tears fell down his face, joining the rain. That was all he had really. No identity. No purpose. Only the pain left behind from things he couldn't change.

All his good memories felt so small in comparison.

"Hey," Aaron jumped when he heard a soft voice called out, barely audible above the pouring rain, "Do you need help?"

He turned to see the dull outline of a mustard bottle standing a short distance away, holding an umbrella. Upon further inspection, Aaron realized there was a path running through the woods there.

"...uh..." Was all that came out when Aaron tried to talk.

"You can come share my umbrella if you want." she offered a shy smile on her face.

Hesitantly, Aaron walked over to her, dipping under the umbrella. He didn't really need it, but he just wasn't sure what else to do. He stared at the ground as the pair started walking down the path, consumed in his own thoughts, tears still streaming down his face.

The mustard bottle noticed and gave him a sympathetic look, "Are you feeling ok?" she asked in a quiet, sweet voice.

"...no..." Aaron admitted, his voice trembling.

"What's wrong?" she asked kindly, unassuming of this random stranger she found in the woods.

"...I just... I don't know who I'm supposed to be... or why I'm here... I just... I don't know..." Aaron rambled, unable to adequately put his thoughts into words.

They walked up to a park bench beside the path, and the mustard bottle guided Aaron towards it. They both sat down, and Aaron curled his knees to his chest, letting his head fall into his hands.

"I'm not sure why you're out here in the rain..." she began, "But I think I can relate a little. I used to feel like nothing I did mattered... Like I didn't matter... I had a regular job, but I just felt like I wasn't making a difference. It just wasn't fulfilling."

Aaron looked up at her for a moment in surprise. Isn't that exactly what he wanted... fulfillment?

"But I was also scared to do anything different. I felt trapped. Sometimes you just have to... do it anyway. Find something different and keep trying until you find the thing that makes you happy." the mustard bottle smiled, "I'm in nursing school now. Helping people, kind of like you, makes me happy. I hope that helps."

Aaron remained silent, staring off into the rain. Maybe he could find something to give him purpose, maybe he didn't have to let the past define him, "...thank you..."

"You're welcome," she smiled warmly, "My name's Kylie by the way."

"Aaron," he nodded.

"Were you lost?"

"...yeah... why are you out here?"

"I like walking in the rain," Kylie sighed peacefully. "But it's getting dark. I was heading back. Do you want me to help you find your place?"

"...yeah..." Aaron nodded, slowly standing up.

"AARON!!" a loud voice suddenly shattered the peaceful atmosphere. Aaron tensed immediately, and Kylie looked in the direction of the shout with concern shining on her face.

"Bryce?" she questioned in confusion as the outline of a tall soda bottle appeared from between the trees. The light was increasingly fading, making it hard for her to tell for sure.

Bryce froze upon being called out, recognizing the sweet soft voice of his former co-worker. Shoot, he couldn't remember her name... this was going to be awkward, "Yeah?"

"Do you know this lantern? He was lost in the woods. Do you know where he lives so I can help him back?" Kylie asked, innocently unaware of how terrified Aaron was to see Bryce. She also chose to ignore that Bryce had been missing for over two years, assuming that he had just been in another state or something.

"Oh, um... yeah I can help him get back. You can go on." Bryce offered, hoping she would leave and not ask anymore questions.

"Are you sure? He's really upset, and I want to make sure he's ok." Kylie insisted. Aaron simply stood frozen, trying to keep his mentality from spiraling out of control again.

"I'm a... friend of his. I'll make sure he's fine." Bryce assured her. "It's getting late, you should probably be heading home."

"Well... alright..." Kylie agreed, then looked back at Aaron with a smile. Being careful not to hit him with the umbrella, she wrapped her arms around him in a quick hug, "It was nice meeting you. I hope you find what you're looking for."

Aaron smiled slightly, relaxing into the embrace, "...thank you... for everything..."

"No problem," she nodded, then began walking down the path.

"C'mon Aaron, let's go." Bryce sighed in relief as she walked away, avoiding any awkward tension.

Aaron cautiously followed behind the soda bottle as he walked the opposite direction down the path. He was dreading going back. He liked it out here. And even worse than going back inside, he was terrified that Bryce would be angry with him.

Puddles splashed beneath their feet as they trudged along the path in silence for a while. Rain continued to soak them, and occasionally lightning would flash in the far distance. Tree branches hung overhead, and tall trunks towered on both sides.

"Aaron," Bryce suddenly addressed, causing the lantern to flinch.

"...yeah?"

"Don't run off again."

"...ok..."

"Also..." Bryce sighed, "Look, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I don't regret what I said, but I know it won't fix anything either."

"...I'm sorry..."

Bryce froze, causing Aaron to almost run into his back, but thankfully he stopped in time. "What?" he asked, not sure if he heard correctly.

Aaron looked down at the ground nervously, and repeated in a small voice, "...I'm sorry... for... I'm not really sure what... but I'm sorry... because it upset you... and... I didn't want that..."

"I..." Bryce hesitated, not sure what to say, "...guess that works."

Aaron gave a small hopeful smile, "Does that mean... you're not mad anymore...?"

"No." Bryce argued decisively, "I can't forgive you. You can't just fix things like that, but you know what? It's a start."

Even though his words were far from encouraging, Aaron still smiled. That's all he needed.

A start.

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><

Well... it feels like we took one step forward and about five hundred steps backwards, doesn't it? But to Bryce's credit he really does have every right to be angry... my gosh how many chapters is it going to take for them to finally figure out what happened to poor Aaron? I don't even know at this point. Maybe it will be next chapter.

Also, something that I'm just now realizing is that this AU is almost the only one where I have an ending planned out. The other ones are pretty much indefinite, which might be a problem eventually, but we'll deal with that when we get there lol.

Also this is the last of my pre-written chapters, so unless I finish one tomorrow the next update will be next week!

Edgy out!