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[url=https://open.spotify.com/track/7aQrkhkdRkPoJpIrdKYJRv][img]https://i.imgur.com/0znNa1y.jpeg[/img]
[/url][/CENTER][indent][sub][COLOR=#FF7514][B]Location:[/B][/COLOR] [I]The Beach[/I] - [I]Dundas Island, Pacific Ocean[/I][/sub][sup][right][COLOR=#ff7514][b]Human #5.004:[/b][/COLOR] [I]Promises Made[/I][/right][/sup][/indent][COLOR=#FF7514][SUP][sub]____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/sub][/SUP][/COLOR][INDENT][sub][color=#ff7514][B]Interaction(s):[/B][/COLOR] [/sub][SUP][RIGHT][COLOR=#FF7514][b]Previously:[/b][/COLOR] [color=gray][I]Abyss[/I][/color][/right][/SUP]
[INDENT]
There was a break in the clouds, as strong winds carried them away from the island and towards the mainland. A seagull brazenly flew against the wind, struggling with each beat of its wings against the power of mother nature. It had been doing this for a while now, peering down into the ocean to spot any possible prize waiting to be claimed. A security drone, set on an automated patrol path, nearly collided with the animal. The drone paid no mind to the gull, which evaded the bothersome machine at the last possible moment before turning its attention back to its hunt.

Observing the bird like that, one would almost be jealous of it. How simple its life must be. No need to worry about terrorists, conflicting loyalties or homicidal freaks. The only thing on your mind being base needs. And, apparently, the occasional mechanized interloper.

Gazing up at the struggling animal was Katja. She stood waist deep in the water, immovable like a wave breaker as the waves crashed into her. She had been standing here for what could have been hours or only a handful of minutes, she honestly didn’t know. Nor did she care. Nor did it alarm her that her clothes were drenched by the sea water, possibly ruined forever. It was because she wore her school uniform. It’s not like she was going to need it anymore anyway.

She had bandages wrapped around her fists, stained red from wounds incurred earlier in the day. Over time they had absorbed the salty sea water, resulting in an ever present burning sensation in her hands. Katja tried focusing on that pain, trying to find some distraction, [i]any[/i] distraction from the turmoil that was waging inside her.

If only she had been there, Katja thought.

It would have been different if she had been there.

Katja had been in bed when she got the news. She had been feeling sick for a while. Whether it was due to an actual illness or her mental state she did not dare to say. Though if she had to wager, it was probably the latter. The whole business with Haven had left her rattled. She was sure some, like Harper or Rory, were going to want to ask questions about how she had known Haven’s location. To be fair, it had been a guess, she had nothing to do with Haven’s kidnapping. But that she knew of a former Children of Hyperion hideout would have raised red flags for even the most dense individual.

So, with her constant worrying about not just being exposed, but rejected by those she cherished the most, Katja chose self isolation. And honestly, she wasn’t looking forward to the dance regardless, so it worked out as a nice excuse.

That was until news of the attack reached her.

All of the self pity, the doubt and the concerns melted away like snow before the sun. Instead she felt like she had to get out there to see if everyone was alright, if she could lend a hand. But more news started to trickle in before she had even been able to get dressed. Dark tidings of chaos and carnage. Many of her class had seemingly lost their lives, but one name was repeated in particular. The name of one of the most gossiped about students in all of PRCU. The one they feared. The one they scorned. The one they envied.

The one she had befriended. The one she still felt for.

Amma.

Everything after that was a blur to her. The only things she managed to recall was because her dorm served as a constant reminder. She must have fallen into an uncontrollable rage as she had torn down everything in her own room. Her fellow roommates had quickly evacuated the dorm, trying to avoid any potential harm. 

The only clear memory Katja still had was of her staring at herself in the mirror. She recalled exactly how she looked. Her hair was a tangled mess, tears were streaming down her face, her breathing irregular and heavy. What she saw in that reflection disgusted her. There, looking back at her, stood a weakling. One who supposedly prided herself on her strength and her sense of camaraderie. What a pitiful sight she was now. What Katja was looking at was nothing more than a coward. A coward and a liar. She could not bear the sight of herself, feeling her rage surge back again. And before she knew it she punched the mirror. Once. Twice. Thrice. Cutting open her fists on the razor sharp shards that were left. All to get rid of the sickening image.

If only she had been stronger. If only she had been there.

Katja was brought back to the present by the pricking feeling of tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. This had been happening a lot lately, a feeling that had felt alien to her only mere weeks before. Now, she was becoming used to it far too quickly for her liking. Even so, she did not fight it. If anyone considered it a sign of weakness, then so be it, she had already proven herself to be a weakling. But if there ever was a time to let the tears flow, now was the time. For Amma.

A sad smile formed on the large girl’s lips as she recalled that first day back after summer break. It was on this very beach that Amma had been the first of Blackjack that Katja reunited with. A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she recalled the bearhug she gave the raven haired girl. She remembered being enamored by that awesome power of hers and how much it stung to be hit by those tendrils of raw destructive power the day after. The irony wasn’t lost on Katja that Amma seemed to constantly be the reason for tears to stream down her cheeks, as she laughed a soft, mirthless laugh.

Katja lowered her eyes, looking out into the horizon. Another wave hit the girl, unyielding to the force of nature. She thought back to the conversation she’d had with Amma back in the gardens around the medical ward. She embraced herself, placing her hands down on those very shoulders Amma had permanently marked.

	[color=#FF7514]“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep to my end of the deal, Am.”[/color]

She spoke in a soft, hushed voice. The sound only barely carried over the waves of the turbulent Pacific Ocean. She kept her eyes fixed on that far off horizon. Its vastness stretched on, seemingly endless. As if it were the edge of the world.

	[color=#FF7514]“Wherever you are, I’ll make it up to you.”[/color] She spoke louder now, no longer a faint shaky voice but one filled with determination. Katja lowered her arms, the waves gently touching her injured hands again. She turned around, breaking her gaze over the horizon only at the last moment before making her way back up the beach.

	[color=#FF7514]“I’ll make sure you won’t be lonely for long.”[/color] She continued, seemingly to herself as her feet walked on dry land once more. Her kilt, drenched in the ocean’s water, clung to her legs as it dripped profusely. Katja barely noticed it. If anything, it’d mask the tiny droplets that fell from up higher. Those that had been streaming down her cheeks for a while now.

A light in the corner of her eye then caught her attention. A campfire blazed fiercely at almost the exact same spot as it did at the start of the year. And surrounding it were faces that Katja had been avoiding for far too long. Fate was here to seemingly force her hand. Enough running. Enough cowardice. It was time to rejoin Blackjack, whatever that might entail down the line.

But as Katja set her first tentative steps towards that familiar flame, she looked up to the sky one more time and uttered her final promise to her departed friend.

[color=#FF7514]“We’ll meet each other in the afterlife soon, Am. And whether it’s HELP, the Foundation or God Himself, I’ll drag all those bastards responsible down with me!”[/color]


[/INDENT][/INDENT][/color]