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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟓: 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋
written by: peachyhxlland

"So, I was thinking about the future..." The two of you began conversing as you and Cindy entered the Harvest Festival walking side by side. The screaming and yelling crowds in the background were ignored by the two of you.

Your sudden topic made Cindy flinch just a little. "Future? Already?"

In perplexity, you turned to face her. "Why? Do you not want to talk about it?"

"Well... it's just that it's too early, don't you think?"

You nodded. "It is. However, given that my father is relentless, I need to know what I should do going forward since I have no idea what I want to be..."

Cindy wrapped her arm over yours and took a time to reflect. "I wanna be a dancer." She blurted out. "Or... maybe an actress! But I'm sure I'll still change my mind in the future." Cindy chuckled. "How about you? What career do you like or suit you?"

You tried to come up with an idea about the future as you shrugged and pushed your bottom lip out. "A painter would be nice, but I'm not that skilled like Xavier. I'm not a skilled author like Wednesday, but I wrote some stories for children. I'm not musically talented like Bianca..." You stopped in your tracks and sighed in defeat, feeling pressured and upset. "I... I don't know what I'm good for."

Cindy was concerned when she saw you in dilemma. She was aware of how upbeat you were—not as hyper as Enid, but just as someone who had a happy outlook on life. And it made her sad to see you frustrated and down on yourself.

There was no denying that you were rarely negative. And as soon as you were, your friends started to worry because they had never seen you in such a bad mood.

"Cheer up, Alice!" Cindy tried to encourage you as she hugged you sideways. "We're still sixteen. I'm sure you'll figure out what you want to become in the future soon. We have plenty of time, don't worry."

You stared at Cindy, giving her a small smile. "Thanks, Cindy."

"Aww, why's our little Alice all gloomy?" You and Cindy both heard Enid ask as she walked up to you both, Wednesday at her side.

"Alice?" Wednesday asked.

Enid took a look at her with a smile. "(Y/n)'s nickname. Xavier gave it to her and we're just using it."

You felt a tiny chill as Wednesday's wide, soulless eyes met yours as she fixed you a blank look. She was little yet incredibly spooky and intimidating.

"Like Alice in Wonderland?" Wednesday asked as the black ribbon on top of your head caught her attention.

"Um, yeah, I guess..." You answered.

Wednesday's eyes briefly twitched as she pondered for a while. "You know there's a lot of theories about Alice and her trip to Wonderland, right? Such as drug use, mental illness, or—"

"Wednesday!" The girl in black and white clothing promptly shut her mouth after Enid scolded her. "We don't need to upset her more," Enid whispered to Wednesday.

You shook your head. "No, it's okay, Enid." You reassured. "I've heard of those theories, and it's interesting that people like Wednesday can view the world and events from a different perspective. It's good to view things from a different angle. Even if it's a darker perspective, of course."

Wednesday raised an eyebrow at you while slightly curving up her lips. "Thank you." She said. "You're one of the rarest people around here to be bearable."

Cindy and Enid made a slight frown.

"Unfortunately, I'm saddened to say that I won't be able to see you anymore," Wednesday said.

"Why not?" Cindy asked.

"Wednesday is planning to escape," Enid whispered, loud enough for you and Cindy. "We're waiting for a normie to come and pick her up."

"I do not wish to stay in this purgatory," Wednesday added as she glanced at the festival. "I mostly like torture and pain, but not like this. This is my definition of hell."

You frowned at the thought of her leaving. "Sad to see you go so early. I hope you have safe travels though."

"Thank you, (Y/n)." Wednesday gave you a kind nod. "You're too kind." She looked at you up and down. "Literally."

Enid hastily trailed Wednesday when she left the room and the two rapidly made their way to the entrance to wait for the normie they were going to meet.

"Can they even trust that normie?" Cindy scoffed as you and her turned around to roam around the festival.

You shrugged. "Maybe not. But I'm sure Wednesday can handle herself if that normie ever hurts her."

Cindy suddenly gasped making you flinch. "We need to try that one!" She pointed her finger to a few tents that held games and stuffed animals as prizes. "I want the lion plushie, OMG!"

You had no choice but to follow Cindy as she dragged you along with her. Her strength came from the fact that she was a werewolf. She wouldn't budge no matter how hard you wanted to get away.

Cindy started tossing colorful rings into bottles as you watched her work. She played again, forcing you to lean on the tent pole after she lost the first round. As you turned to look at your surroundings, you noticed a woman standing unsettlingly among the crowd.

Your posture straightened out in alarm as you continued to look at her until she disappeared when a young man passed by. To your surprise, Rowan, Xavier's roommate, was the one who walked by while appearing to be in a rush and to be in a panic. "Rowan!" You waved your hand at him, greeting him.

Rowan glanced at you before widening his eyes and starting to flee away from you. You blinked your eyes to make sure if what you saw was real or not. 'Weird...'

You were about to turn to take a glimpse at Cindy when you spotted Wednesday throwing some darts at the balloons. She was nailing it. Soon, Xavier approached her, engaging in a conversation with her.

You looked at both Wednesday and Xavier while tapping your finger against the metal pole of the tent. You felt something bubbling up inside, and you didn't like it. You've never had that feeling before.

"(Y/n)..." You were shaken out of your trance by Cindy's whining as she tugged on your sleeve. "Help me with the lion stuffie, please?"

Cindy cast a wary glance at the pole you were gripping. "Oh, um... you just..."

Confounded, you looked at her and turned your head to the side to see the pole had turned into wood. The shop owner was in utter disbelief as he hung his mouth wide. You cast him an apologetic smile before grabbing the rings that Cindy had left for you, tossing them each bottle. You surprised yourself by successfully placing each ring on each bottle.

The vendor was even more shocked.

"I think you broke him," Cindy commented.

Cindy squealed as she received the plush lion from the vendor, who had taken it from the prize area. "AHH! ¡Gracias, gracias, (Y/n)!" She bounced up and down while holding the huge plush lion in her arms, cradling it in her arms.

"Can we go?" You wrapped your arms around yourself, frowning, even though you were wearing an oversized jacket. "I don't feel like spending more time here."

Cindy frowned, paying no attention to the store owner who was still perplexed and alarmed by the pole you turned into wood. "But we just got here! And the attendance is mandatory, you know that."

You sighed. "I can just wait by the benches, I guess..."

With one arm over you and the other wrapped around the plush lion, Cindy wrinkled her brows in concentration. "I'll give you something to eat. That'll make you cheer up."

"Cindy, I can buy my own food..."

"¡Disparates! I'll pay for any food you want if that'll cheer you up." Cindy insisted as she hauled you in the direction of the food trucks. "Because I don't wanna see my bestie being upset."

You turned to look at Xavier and Wednesday and saw another guy approaching the two of them, particularly toward Wednesday. You simply nodded subtly and let Cindy lead the way.

You were forced to sit down at one of the picnic tables by Cindy. "Wait here, okay?" She instructed. "I'll order us some corndogs and drinks."

Cindy was just as obstinate as you were, so despite your attempts to stop her by grabbing her arm, she continued to walk. You huffed and put both of your arms down on the table, leaning your cheeks on one of them. While you waited for Cindy, you tapped the wooden table with the tips of your nails.

Soon after, you became aware of the shadow nearby and the person seated next to you. "You okay?" A familiar voice asked.

Even so, you didn't even lift your head to determine whether it was him or not. You started using your nails to make random circles on the table. As soon as you heard Xavier sigh, you noticed that he had stood up, moved to sit next to you, and turned to face you. He noticed the sad look on your face when he sat down next to you. Since you rarely got upset, he hated it when you did.

"Bored?" He asked.

Because you lacked the energy to speak with him at the time, you shrugged. You were clueless about what's gotten into you. You don't know what happened. You just suddenly felt disheartened for no clear reason.

"Are you sick?"

You shook your head.

"Come on, talk to me." Xavier pleaded as he pressed his cheek up to his fist as put his elbow on the table. "Or at least look at me."

Before giving in, you hesitated a little. When you raised your eyes to look at him, you noticed that he was softly grinning at you while the breeze had let his hair sway a little. Your chest began to feel warm and fuzzy as the unpleasant feeling in your stomach subsided. Your mood had somehow been slightly lifted and the little improvement in your mood was noticeable.

"There's my pretty girl." Xavier grinned as he moved a stray strand of your hair away from your face. "Now, tell me, what's bothering you."

You were so confused as to why you became upset that you were even unsure of what to say to him. It was a completely unfamiliar feeling for you because you had never felt that way before. You thus came up with another sentence to say.

"I can't find a friend for Mr. Rabbit."

You never found any stuffed toys resembling bunnies, so it wasn't really a lie. But you knew deep down that wasn't the main reason why you were so upset. You couldn't even identify what it was; it was something different.

Xavier fought back a chuckle and thought it was cute that you were feeling down on a simple problem with a simple fix. "You mean this friend?" Your ears perked up, a habit Xavier had learned whenever you were happy or excited, as he brought out a stuffed bunny from his back.

"Where did you get it?" You queried as you raised your head and straightened your body.

"I'm not telling you." Xavier teased, returning back to his position with his chin resting against his fist and his elbow on the table.

After giving him a little frown, you took the plush bunny and began to massage its head with your thumb. The stuffed animal was exactly the same height as your rabbit one, and you were eager to put them side by side in your room. You gave the plush animal a big hug, oblivious to Xavier's endearing smile as it grew bigger.

"Xavier, you thief!" Cindy gasped when she came back with two drinks and two corndogs. "I was supposed to make Alice feel better."

As he aided her in setting the food and drinks down, Xavier chuckled. "Sorry."

You tucked the stuffed toy in your other arm as you began to eat the corndog, finally having an appetite to eat. Cindy held her head high. "Ah, at least I get to make our girl's stomach full."

Xavier rolled his eyes in a playful manner. "Let's just both agree we made her happy tonight, okay?"

-•-°-•-°-☆

I just had some flashbacks on that last scene of (Y/n), Cindy, and Xavier. I think I'm Cindy in this situation, honestly 😭

And, yay, a slightly longer chapter!