First : https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1129146201/ Next : https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1129169212/ Previous : https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1129166480/ Black. Huh? So, this is how death feels, a dark black void, with- voices? Why are there voices? Someone’s pacing, maybe it’s her mami! She often paced when something was wrong, but- her voice wasn’t heard. Just a man, with a slightly shaky voice talking to a woman. Had to be about in his 40s, judging by the depth and the raspiness, but she could be wrong. There are multiple factors in defining a voice, including what time of day it was, what day is it? What’s the time? Nothing’s making sense, she wanted to jolt awake, but she was frozen. “Yes, yes! Of course I’m horrified!” The man exclaimed as he sounded to continue to pace the room. “Darling, it will be okay!” The woman soothed, hooves? Why can she hear hooves? No norma- ORCHID? Hold on- HOLD ON HAHA! ORCHID? She’s dreaming. She’s in the hospital and dreaming! Period, nothing more, nothing less! “Yes, but- you know! It’s- difficult, I always get so nervous!” The man fretted, chirps- wait a damn minute, chirps?! Penn? What the hell? It could be a random bird, because she’s going to wake up in few minutes! “Do we just- shake her awake?” Another woman asked, she had a harsher voice than the previous woman. “I’m shaking her awake.” Then she started being shaken, the woman’s words filled her ears. “Hey, kitsune girl, wake up. Come on, 9 tails.” “Stop…” Grey muttered, swatting Jessi away before slowly raising her head to see Penn, Orchid and Jessi. “I’m dreaming.” “Well- aaand she’s asleep again.” Penn exasperated, nudging the new wisdom god again. “Wakey, wakey.” “I’m dreaming. Let me sleep.” Grey sighed, putting her head into her pillow. “What am I? Goddess of not looking where she’s going? I was looking where I was going, that damn car had it out for me.” “Well… Technically, you’re the goddess of wisdom.” Penn mumbled, looking to the ground. Grey just stared at him confused. “What the…” “LANGUAGE.” Orchid yelled, quickly before giving a small “Sorry!” “Wait- wait- wait- wait. If I’m the goddess of wisdom, then what are you?” Grey inquired as she pointed toward Penn, raising an eyebrow at the already peculiar man, he seemed much more authoritative in the books and novels, always acting as a guardian, which she supposed he still was one, just- gentler than she thought. “Light, oddly enough.” Penn stammered; he hardly got it out. “You look like an edgy 14-year-old’s OC.” Grey muttered; she was unimpressed with the amount of hype they were given. They seemed like average people, some were mystical creatures, sure, but they didn’t seem like powerful deities. “OC?” Penn tilted his head in confusion, leaving Jessi to whisper in his ear, a look of surprise washed over his face for a moment before becoming dead-faced again. “Aren’t we all original? Oh- for the show… What’s a has bean? You know what, don’t answer that.” “Good, because I wasn’t explaining it to you.” Jessi sighed as she held her head. “So- can I get some explanation? Like…” Grey gestured, trying to hold on to what little sanity she had. If she’s dead, then why the hell- hold- why did Jessi call her 9-tails? She cautiously looked behind her and yelped, jumping up from her position. “OH, MY GODS, I DON’T WANNA BE A FURRY!” She cried, batting away the tails. “WAIT- IS THIS A THERIAN THING? OR AM I? GODS, PLEASE TELL ME.” She took a deep breath, she just needed to calm down, simple as that. Everything was closing in on her, but it’s fine! It’s fine! She’s fine! Jessi just laughed. “Better get used to it!” She leaned into Grey, her expression cold and soulless, “You are stuck like this forever.” She muttered before brightening up again. “Any who, Pennsylvania, Tulip, newbie, have a good one!” She waved as she started packing up her stuff. Penn just tipped his cadet cap to her; a small knowing smile traced his lips. “Alright, Jessica.” “Psh, don’t call me that.” She nudged his arm as she laughed, Grey couldn’t help but feel a shiver down her spine. She was meant to be with these people for who knows how long, she couldn’t trust them, they were just average people. “Jess, you need a ride, right?” Orchid asked, tugging on her cardigan, it was pink with woven flower details. These people that had been “gods” are just normal people, they look and sound- okay, maybe not look, but they sound like normal people, normal people with magic. She didn’t understand, she looked at her hands again, how do these hands represent wisdom? “Nah, but you can tag along, I’m passing by the biology center or whatever on my way to the college.” Jessi twirled the keys on her finger, “Only a slight stop to let you out, unless you wanna get out NASCAR style.” Just. Stay. Calm. There’s nothing that’s going to provide too much harm. Just be sure you’re okay. Because you are okay, Grey. Keep breathing.
“Uhh- no?” Orchid giggled, waving goodbye to Penn and Grey as she ran out after Jessi. She took a deep breath, or at least tried to, she scrambled for a whiff of oxygen, all thoughts rushed into her head. WHY HER? Here she was, sitting with the people that had festivals DEDICATED to them! She could have sworn a tear fell down her face as she curled into a little ball, tucking her head into her knees. “I- I…” She stammered between sobs, unable to string a sentence together. She just dug herself deeper into her knees, why her? Why her? Why not anyone else? She doesn’t deserve this! Why not Paige? She totally deserves this! She’s super smart, and caring, and polite, and is she ranting about how amazing Paige is? There’s a way out! There must be! She can reject, right? She isn’t ready! She’s not even out of college! Wait- she can’t take college anymore. She’s dead. People she won’t see again, faces she’ll eventually forget. Faces that will eventually forget her. She felt someone put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s hard. Believe me I know.” The man muttered, she looked to the side to see him, he was looking to the ground while fiddling with his scarf, this man was the god of wisdom. Now she is, why her? No, no, don’t- don’t go there. “Wisdom is a difficult thing to define. It’s a balance. Putting others before yourself but knowing when to put yourself before others. To take both sides or no sides to an argument.” She continued to sob, she couldn’t see much of anything, it’s blurry, all of it. Just her red jeans, a dark red, a color that wasn’t one to bite. This man next to her was supposed to be this powerful entity, and here he is, trying to comfort her and failing miserably. “Sorry.” He muttered, he was a large man, maybe 8 feet? What kind of man is 8 feet tall? He wasn’t very good looking either, looked like years of stress was finally getting to him. “I really shouldn’t be talking much, should I?” Why is he even talking to her? Stupid little desaturated- no, she’s upset, she needs to hear him out, she sighed. “No, you’re fine. I just- need to process that I’m never seeing the people I love again.” “Maybe you’ll find a new family. I don’t know, I feel like a father to them.” He laughed at his own thought, tilting his head up to view through the balcony window. It was still dark outside, probably about 6 AM, “I’d love for you to think of me as such a thing. Someone to talk to, to vent to, I’m always listening. Long story short, we’re welcoming you with open arms. We’re here for you.” Why was she even sobbing? She doesn’t deserve people like him. She deserves- she doesn’t even know what she deserves. She just deserves worse. She was making random assumptions about a god, A GOD. What kind of- wait- she is one now. This man was just being nice to her. This man she thought she knew so much about, shattered. “P-Penn?” She stammered, trying to catch any word that fell into her vicinity. “I don’t think I’m going to like this.” She tried giving a laugh, but it all came out as sobs. She won’t see anyone. Her Mami must be so upset. She felt sorry for her, she didn’t think anyone deserved to have their loved ones taken from them. “N-not at all.” Penn tilted his head; his gaze had become softer as he fiddled with her hand. “And that’s okay. Eventually, you’ll grow to like everyone here.” “No, Penn. I- I uh- I think I’m going to miss all the people in my life.” Her heart started becoming heavier, thinking of all the lost memories. All events and moments shared were just going to be grains of sand in a desert soon enough. A single drop in the ocean of regret and sorrow. Moments she could no longer have anymore. “I missed them too.” Penn murmured, maybe he did understand. He went through the exact same process; he was even a wisdom god. “Wh-When did you stop hurting?” She sniffled, her voice breaking for an occasional huff or attempt to catch her breath. “I’m still hurting.” He gave a solemn shake of his head; she noticed a small tear come from his eye. He smiled, looking back up at the sunset. “Even so, we need to remember that we have each other.”
