((Mirabella Strong, Juhan Levandi, and Takeshi Yoshikawa continued from The Real Folk Blues )) Considering the emotional exhaustion they'd undergone that morning, the journey towards the Northern Town was surprisingly easy. While there was a hefty distance between the school buildings and the reside...

It was done. Just like that, Ian had breathed his last, just like she'd seen so many times before. The light left his eyes and his breathing faded away, and he became identical to the dozens of other deceased classmates now scattered across the island. Bella shakily pulled herself to her feet, chest...

And just as quickly as it had came, she felt the grip on her chest slacken, felt her body propel itself forward onto the gritty earth as Ian released her. She lay upon the ground spluttering and coughing, regaining her breath as relief rose within her, mingling with her undulating stream of anger, e...

Nothing but rage ran through Bella as she hacked ungracefully at Ian, having become a slave to the white-hot anger that flooded her. Sprays of blood splatter spilled from every shallow cut she made, and she savoured the soft patter the droplets made as they fell around the duo. She swung wildly, nei...

Bella sat pensively as Ian reacted to her story, pricking holes in it with every word that passed through his lips. It was all valid, she knew it was; every little criticism and flaw he found was genuine, and she couldn't fault him for that. It wasn't until his final statement, in which he claimed G...

Bella nodded thoughtfully throughout Ian's speech, digesting each of his words with a mixture of sympathy and curiosity. She could see what'd happened to him had truly torn him up inside, and for that she was truly sorry. For anybody else, though, she knew she wouldn't have been; no matter how much ...

"It is," Bella said thoughtfully, running her fingers along a length of greasy hair as she spoke, wondering what was wrong with her if she could speak so casually about the hell she'd experienced. "But it's the way things are now. It's the norm for us." She tentatively raised her...

"Sure," Bella said in response to Ian's query, rising from the ground and gripping ahold of her sickle as she followed in Ian's footsteps, humming tunelessly as they walked towards the nearby gazebo. Ian hadn't spilled the beans quite so bluntly as she desired, but at the same time she cou...

Bella returned Ian's chuckle with equal enthusiasm, though her laugh delicately broke off as he descended into a fit of coughing, a slightly-absent look of concern dancing across her features as he recovered. She caught his eyes wandering towards her forehead and was confused for the briefest of sec...

"Hi," Bella repeated softly, tilting her head and rolling her fingertips along the handle of her sickle. "Long time no see, huh?" Bella released a shaking breath as she seated herself onto the ground beside Ian, paying no mind whether she dirtied her new clothing or not with the ...

Her feet came to a stop only a few feet away from Ian, and she tilted her head as she came into his vision, letting it rest comfortably upon her shoulder. She couldn't quite believe she was standing before the same Ian she'd known, the same Ian whom she'd abandoned what seemed like years ago, the bl...

It took Bella awhile to recognise the voices echoing throughout the park; though their exact words were unclear, who they belonged to became gradually unmistakeable the more she listened to the argument unfolding before her. She stood still for a moment as their voices escalated in volume and tone, ...

((Mirabella Strong continued from All for You )) Bella scarcely took notice of her surroundings as she slowly trudged into the Central Park, each of her movements both directionless and almost tangibly calculated. She hadn't stopped moving since she'd fled from the apartments, nor had the rage that ...

Maynard didn't know how much time had passed when he awoke - it might've been ten minutes or ten hours - but thoughts of how much rest he'd managed to accrue slipped away the second he realised James wasn't anywhere to be seen. He shakily pulled himself up into a seating position, grabbed his sword ...

Maynard tilted his head and let the smallest of smiles stretch across his face as he observed James enjoy his chicken, nibbling away at what remained of the meal. Whilst his friend ate, he drank, letting the sweetness of the iced tea dance on his tongue and relishing the cool relief that accompanied...