Interacting with: @Brookline Quinn Mentioning: N/A Date: 02/13/25

Word Count: 721

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Avery couldn't believe she finally had a friend that was as passionate about her home country as she herself was. It made Avery smile. The mood lightening as they had finally found common ground that wasn't full of pain and grief. "That would be amazing! I would love to meet your best friend!" Avery said with a brighter smile on her face. Glad she had finally found someone that knew people from Wales. It had been so long since she'd last been there that Avery had no idea what it was even like anymore. "It really does feel free compared to London. Whenever I'm in London, I feel as if I can never be myself. It's always busy and cramped in the streets which just adds to the chaos. Though don't get me wrong, it's very beautiful just not. . . Wales." Avery hoped what she had said made sense. Honestly she didn't even know if what she said had even made sense to herself. Family. Avery was sad at that. Before she was eight, she would have been proud to say that all of her family lived there, but now? Well, that was the hard part. She didn't exactly have much family left in Wales. "Well, about four years ago I would've been proud to say that all of my family lived in Wales except for my own, but now it's just my grandparents. On both sides of my family, of course, but I rarely ever see my father's parents anymore." Avery explained to the girl. Not allowing herself to become sad. No. She had finally had the chance to get her mind off of the hard things, and she wasn't about to go back into that. Avery laid back in the grass just to view the beautiful French sky. She couldn't believe she was there. In France. Talking and lying in the grass with a girl Avery had never thought she'd meet. A girl that she'd never imagined was going through similar things as herself and enjoyed Wales just as much as she did. It was amazing. Avery finally felt like coming to France was a good idea instead of being a mistake. Though she did miss Dylan. He hadn't come as she had hoped. She hadn't seen Dylan in so long. She couldn't believe it had been four years since she'd last seen him. Four years. Wow. Time flew quickly. It still felt like yesterday that Avery had said goodbye to him. The pain from the memory was still clear in her mind after all the time. It had been too long. That was why Avery had hoped for more than anything that he would be in France. Standing there with open arms as they reunited in person for the first time. Even if she didn't seem him during the school year, at least she would see him that summer. Though the summer felt like another lifetime away from the present. Avery shook her head. Trying to get her mind off of the harder memories and focus on the present. That's when another question popped into her mind. A question that sparked her curiosity. "I don't know why I didn't ask this before, but what's your favorite place to go when you need a break from life in Wales? For me, it was always the woods behind my grandparents' house in Swansea. It was always so calm and peaceful." Avery closed her eyes as she remembered memories. Good ones of the good times before her grandfather had fallen ill. Times when she and Dylan had spent hours exploring every inch within their grasp. Taking note of every bird, bug, or animal that crossed their path. The same with plants. Her grandfather had been a mazoologist. A good one at that. He had been the one to teach both Avery and Dylan the animals and even plants that he'd discovered. Some safe and tasty to eat whereas others were dangerous. Avery wondered if she would ever get to do something like that with him again as he had fallen ill. Though Avery didn't know the answer to that question, she kept it at the back of her mind. Ready to ask it once the right time came. For now? Well, for now she would listen to what Brookline had to say.

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ℬrookline exhaled, and she caught a glance of Avery as she shifted to her side, beaming when she saw a little smile on her new Gryffindor friend. The Ravenclaw was happy that her newfound friend was Welsh, just like her. She smiled again when Avery stated it would be amazing to meet her best friend, Winnie. Winnie would love the younger Welsh girl, that's what Brookline thought.

She nodded as Avery stated the cranpess of London. She gets it. She completely gets it. "Oh, yeah. Everyone and their mother would love to visit London, when they don't even know how cramped and breathless and busy the city is. London can be beautiful yet sometimes the people can drive away the beauty. Nothing to them, sometimes people don't even know that they caused this distraction or hurt. This is why I choose to believe that my father is going to coming back even after all those horrible, horrible words he decided to let out of his lips. Sometimes, I don't get the things he did and does, but.... just perhaps... he doesn't know he's hurting me."

Wow. Huge rant, and Brookline's words were careful and not full of rage. Just pure disappointment. That has not happened before, she relized and she sighed. The second year wished so bad her father could come back, yet, she couldn't make his decisions for him.

Avery started out with how proud she would be if all her family lived in Wales, but her words grew softer as Btookline noted that only Avery's grandparents still lived in Wales. "Merlin, I feel so bad for you, not seeing grandparents must suck. My grandparents are still here in Wales somewhere yet I haven't seen them a while either. In fact, the last time I've seen a relative other than my immediate family was last Christmas, and after that, way before I started Hogwarts."

Exhale. Inhale. Breathe, Brookline reminded herself, as she finshed her statement. Last Christmas was a train wreck, to say the least. Chase screaming his head off, and he even yelled at his brother when he was just giving Amy a tease or two. Brookline remembered how tense and shellshocked she was. That was horrible, and then just before she went back to Hogwarts, before the divorce papers were signed. When he, Chase, announced that hr was leaving, Brookline ran to escape the house's stupid tension, she could still feel the earth that slapped against her bare feet as she ran away that day.

The first year girl asked another question. About where the young Quinn went when everything was just too hard. That is when Brookline froze, sitting up rigid. It reminded her of when her father left. A ice-cold feeling spread all over her body, and her lungs felt trapped. Trapped and no way to get out. Her heart starting pumping and she swore it was so loud she wouldn't be surprised if Avery could hear it. Hearts were so mean and needed so much attention or else the heart would so dang loud. Of course they though, who ever made the heart made to thump and to pump? It was all so stupid! Hearts were stupid, she thought.

"I ---" She tumbled over her words, and she fiddled with her fingernails. She fiddled with her cable-knit, cream-white sweater. She fiddled with the fraying laces on her boots. She fiddled with her messy, tangled hair. She fiddled with the bottoms of her Jean shorts as she forced the words to comply, "I -- I go run away to the streams in Ferndale, a -- and there's this great, big, grey slab of rock, I really like to calm down on. It probably has a lot of my tears enveloped in, yet, that's okay, right?? I a - also like any kind of tree I can read by. Honesty, anywhere there's quiet and I can hear my voice, which can fluctuate alot. Small. Loud. Quiet. S - sob - sobbing. Insane. Big. You could say I really don't know what happened to me, yet, I really know something happened to me."

Sighing, Brookline was glad she got all that out. The heavy weight on her shoulder didn't exactly leave, yet, it helped and she felt lighter now. At least, now she didn't have to feel like she was slumping in her shoes most of the time. But, something told her, in her core, she would be feeling the same exact feeling soon again. That made Brookline wanna cry. She laid back in the turf again, and twined her finger around a green stalk of grass.

Perhaps Brookline was out of her shell, yet, she would be back in it soon, though.

occ note: sorry abt that double ping!! (sent it too soon when unfinshed lolol 😭)

Interacting with: @Brookline Quinn Mentioning: N/A Date: 02/13/25

Word Count: 718

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Avery listened intently as Brookline spoke. Something was wrong. Avery knew that something bad had happened to the older girl at some point, but she didn't know what just yet. Though Avery was glad that the girl understood her feelings about London. It really could be beautiful if everyone didn't want to show up there and ruin it. Then she mentioned her father and Avery's eyes were opened. Her mother was the same way. Well, sort of. Her mother had buried herself in work after the big fight when Avery was eight. Every since then she'd never really seen her mother. It was as if her mother didn't even exist anymore. That hurt Avery every time she wanted to talk to her mother about something exciting that had happened only to find her mother had locked herself away in her room again. "I know what you mean in a way. My mother has isolated herself and buried herself in work for the past four years. It's as if to me that she doesn't even exist anymore and I think that's what hurts the most. Not getting to tell her everything that happened in my day." Avery let out a long sigh. Glad to admit how she really felt about her mother never being around. Avery nearly jumped out of her skin when Brookline jolted up from her original position on the ground and froze. Though Avery didn't show her surprise as concern took over. "Are you okay> Did I? Did I say something wrong?" Avery frowned. She thought back to the words she had just spoken. Had she just ruined the chances of being friends with this older girl? What had she done? That's when Brookline began to speak. She seemed nervous as she began to fidget. Avery bit her lip and titled her head slightly down as she listened. Why had she asked that? She shouldn't have. She should have respected her new friend and not pushed her. She should have known it would bring back something hard for Brookline to deal with. Avery listened closely. Wherever that place Brookline went to to hear herself and be alone in Ferndale sounded amazing. Like a place straight out of a dream or fairytale. Avery knew though how hard it was to deal with hardship. Many a time Avery had found herself in her room in London crying with the door locked as she replayed the events of the day she left her home. The day that she'd lost everything. The day she had been forced to forget all the good times and start over. "Wow. Those places sound amazing. A perfect area to be alone and feel like you're alone with only the trees and river to hear your voice crying out." Avery said. Her eyes focusing on something in the distance. She couldn't quite make it out, but it helped her focus on what she was saying. "I hope you do find out what happened. Maybe then you'll finally get closure. I'll always be here waiting if you ever need a shoulder to cry on or someone to rant to. I've learned to just listen over these past years." Avery smiled slightly as she enveloped the older girl in a big hug. Unsure of how her new friend would react, but Avery was sure that it was the right thing to do for both of them. It was Avery's way of saying thank you for listening and thank you for staying even though it was hard. Though Avery knew the hard times had only begun for the both of them, she also knew something else. She had someone that understood her. Someone that knew what it felt like to beg for help when no one was there to catch you. Instead of pity, understanding would pass. Something far greater than pity. Understanding meant you could survive it together instead of a bystander feeling sorry for you and offering things that wouldn't help in the long run. That was why Avery was glad to meet Brookline. Avery hoped they would get more chances to be around each other. It was nice having someone that understood you. Someone to hold your hand through all the pain and suffering yet still stand right there by your side through it all.

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ℬrookline noticed how quiet Avery was when she was explaining the quite crampness of London and the rude words her father had delivered to her straight from his mouth. The young Gryffindor almost looked like she was thinking, pondering about her own life, and how she relate to Brookline. The Welsh Ravenclaw suspected she was out of place, and improper, feeling disorganized.

Avery explained about her mother, and how she felt like her mum is emotionally absent and how it hurt her. The lengthy sigh from Avery caused Brookline’s eyes to prick and she told herself, I’m not going to cry, I’m not going to cry. Instead, she felt her lungs and heart sink, the organs complying with the mood, as a complete, heavy, melancholic sorrow spread across her body, almost as if it was a disease, or cancer that rendered her limbs useless and futile. She glanced up at Avery, wished, even though this was great way to expell everything, to be rid of this massive, burdensome backpack that hung on her thin shoulders, full of emotions and dreadful things that Brookline was scared to drop it, the things that come out she was afraid of; she wished that she wasn’t here in Beauxbâtons’ gorgeous garden, because voices pounded her skull, demanding her to leave, and she quite wanted to shift her legs, to move and get up, to leave this very place. Yet, Old Brookline compiled her to stay, to be polite and understanding to this young, Hogwarts girl.

“I understand, I truly do,” Brookline announced after a weighty period of dreadful silence, “I wish parents wern’t like that, where they go into autopilot. My own mum, after my father left, she decided to shut herself in her room; leaving my four little siblings to defend for themselves. I suppose parents have a right to have a breakdown like children and teenagers, yet, they need to know when it is appropriate and when it is not. I mean, my mother has many kids to care for and look after. But, my older sister, Lizy, had shut herself in her room as well, and I might as well admit, I as well, left my little sisters and brothers by themselves in the house, for a few days. Lizy, at least, noticed and she decided to take care of them. She’s been providing them with their wants and needs ever since, and she’s supposed to be in school now. But... she’s not.”

Dark, swirling, blue eyes wide open, young Brookline jerked out of her spot on the gardens’ ground as she went completely motionless as Avery asked a paralyzing question. The gelid, frosty feeling over her body was completely different from the mellow, heavy feeling she was just under. Suddenly, Brookline wished for the depressed feeling back, and she wished that she wasn’t here, she also hoped that she wouldn’t have feel so stuck-up or up-tight anymore. She was ready for that to go away, and stay away.

Breathe, Brookline, she reminded herself, breathe. Brookline sighed, and her limbs felt like ice, and she was petrified if she even moved an inch, her whole body would crack loudly, and crumble and collapse to the ground. Despite the overwhelming fear she’d twiddled and fussed with her Jean shorts, a crude factor of anxiety and stress. As she did, Avery asked her if she was okay and, “Did I say something wrong?”

Avery didn’t do anything wrong. She didn’t do anything wrong, the one, clear, polite voice inside her yelled. The Ravenclaw wondered if that was Old Brookline, and if that little bit of herself that she had lost, and perhaps, as it did always in tough situations, perhaps that tiny portion Brookline thought she’d lost had always been there, just lost underneath the chaos and hurricane inside her.

Midst in all, Brookline didn’t have the courage to answer the Gryffindor as she fussed with everything she could fuss with, one of her many lingering habits. She hated those stupid routines, like biting her already ugly, bitten nails. The young, Ravenclaw second year had been trying so, so hard to cease her habits, yet they kept coming back, along with those voices that chastised her every single second of the day they could exclude out their own day. As if voices even had days.

Brookline spoke, answering Avery’s question of where she went when life was tough. She stammered and fumbled over her words a few times, yet, she was able to get right back on track, and continued her reply. And, at first, she had thought Avery would had rude about an outside place near a river where Brookline cry. Instead, the younger girl’s voice and words were kind, and Avery thought the whole place was amazing. Her gaze was focused on something obscure on the horizon, and Brookline turned to look too, just find out what the Gryffindor was looking at or worrying about. Not to be nosy or whatever, just to check it out.

Brookline grinned softly as Avery hoped that the Ravenclaw would find out what happened to her. Then, Avery informed her that if she would like to rant or cry, that Avery was there. Brookline nodded, and stated, “You as well. If you have anything you wanna talk about, to get that weight off your shoulders, you can always shoot me an ow-- oh!” Her words were cut off as Avery enfolded her in a huge hug, just as soft and gentle as Hufflepuff, and just as brave and fierce as Gryffindor. Brookline smiled again, genuine and real as she rose her arms to wrap Avery in just as delicate snug.

Brookline felt loved and understood, a stark contrast to how she normally felt alone and isolated at Hogwarts, or alone in Wales. If she was being honest, it felt right to finally to be treated as she deserved, and she hoped, in that moment, that her father would come back and squish her in a hug so hard that Brookline would forget all the unforgivable things he had done.

occ note:

Interacting with: @Brookline Quinn Mentioning: N/A Date: 02/13/25

Word Count: 1013

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Avery was at a loss for words as Brookline spoke. She could feel the pain of the other girl. The anguish. The feeling of not being good enough of putting the blame on yourself when you thought you should do something. Avery didn’t have a relatable moment for that. She had never had a family member walk away. Not yet at least, but her mother had and still kept herself away for reason Avery didn’t know. It hurt her more than anything to know that her mother was so close yet so far away. That was why Avery just listened. Avery didn’t know what it was like to have siblings. Not even a sibling that was older or younger. It had only been her. Her entire life. Had Avery always wanted a little sibling? Of course! A little sibling would have made her loneliest moments alive and hopeful instead of dark and depressing like it had been. The closest person she’d ever had to a sibling was Dylan. The two were two peas in a pod before they were ripped apart four years before. Ever since then Avery felt as if a piece of her was missing. She wondered if her mother ever felt that. Her mother’s twin sister was Dylan’s mother. Avery had never seen them fighting or apart until that fateful day four years before. Did their unbreakable but now broken relationship mean there was no hope for anyone? No matter how strong their bond something would rip them apart into a million pieces. Avery shut her eyes for a moment. The pain and the grief of the past hers and Brookline’s enveloping her and reminding her of how hard life could be. How no matter how hard you tried nothing seemed to hold together. It just crumbled back into the dust again. Forcing you to start over on something that was becoming more and more hopeless. “Wow. You didn’t deserve what happened to you. I agree that everyone deserves a breakdown, but not like what your mother did. It’s different with young children and teens. They don’t have a family they need to provide for and support. Your mother should have been there for you instead of wallowing herself. You and your sister don’t deserve to get the mistakes of your parents pushed to you. Your sister deserves to be in school so she can learn instead of taking care of younger children that are your siblings. All I can say is that I hope things get better. No one deserves that kind of responsibility pushed harshly upon them.” Avery shocked herself with the words she had spoken. How had she sounded so old and wise like her grandfather? Maybe some of his wisdom had rubbed off on her or maybe deep down she knew the feeling. The feeling that you had to take responsibility and do everything yourself and hide your true feelings to protect yourself. That was always how Avery ran. She had always been afraid that If people found out how broken she really was that they wouldn’t care to be around her anymore or even be her friend. She was leaning quickly that no one truly understood broken until they themselves were broken beyond repair. The silence hung thickly between them as unspoken words passed over them. Avery respected Brookline and her want to not talk about everything. Avery herself couldn’t muster the courage to tell everything either. Some things were better left buried at least for now. Avery was afraid that if she released everything now she would just be a hollow shell of herself that no one could get to. That thought scared her more than she willed herself to let on. Avery couldn’t believe how such a hard day for her had become a day where she’d met someone that understood her. That cared. Something that didn’t act like they knew what Avery was going through. No. Brookline’s pain was raw and real. Even more painful than Avery’s own pain. She had always known that if she thought her life was hard that someone else’s was way worse, but Avery had never seen that until that moment. Sitting in the grass at a foreign school all the way in France with everyone put herself and Brookline asleep. Avery knew she was broken. There was no denying it. No way to cover up or hide it. It was plain visible where everyone could see, yet Avery felt more at peace with herself than she had in a long time. Talking about what happened had lifted a weight off her shoulders that she never even knew she had anymore. That was why Avery gave Brookline a surprise hug. On neither of them had been expecting. It was a promise and a reminder to both of them. A promise that spoke more than words. Avery now knew that Brookline was hurting deeply and Brookline knew likewise for Avery. That meant that maybe together they could work to heal their broken parts and grow together in a new light where the pain of the past was gone. That would be beautiful. A sight to see as Avery’s own father probably saw her as a hopeless and broke cause not worth his time to mend or work on. That hurt her, but not as much as before. She didn’t need her father or his ways to help her heal. She needed a girl that knew the pain and could walk with her through it together. That was what mattered. “You know? I’m so glad we bumped into each other today. You’ve made me realize that there are other people that are hurting and that it isn’t good to hold everything together yourself. I’ll keep your offer in mind always. I think it’ll come in handy with what may be to come in these future years.” Avery sighed a gentle sigh and leaned back into the grass to admire the sky. The talk had been heavy, but Avery felt fresh. New. Like maybe she could make it another day.

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ℬrookline sighed. She had just finished explaining another part of the lengthy conversation she and Avery were currently having. When the second year had approached the underclassmen, Brookline had obviously thought that she would ask if the girl was okay and move on. She never thought that this girl and her would have such a strong, platonic connection - they were both Welsh, they each have someone/things troubling in their lives, frankly Brookline felt like she had to protect this new friend of her. She felt such an overwhelming desire to cushion and fortify Avery from the cruel and dangerous parts of this world, kinda like a older sister would help shelter a younger sibling.

Then a single thought occurred to her: Why were so many people suffering? Then more occurred. It was like one those rants. You just kept going with every little thing that would have been dismissed as something unimportant, otherwise. Why are innocent humans shut to cry themselves to sleep? Whatever, or whoever could be causing this?

Brookline noticed that her friend squeezed her eyes tight. She instinctively reached out to comfort Avery; she recognized that function. Brookline would close her own eyes when her tear ducts were about betray her, to keep her eyes from sobbing. Yet, when Avery would speak, the Ravenclaw’s hand would shoot back to her side, hiding under the knitted sleeve of hers, hoping Avery hadn’t seen her gesture. . The underclassmen girl would provide comfort, saying that Brookline did not deserve what happened to her.

And, the Ravenclaw did indeed agree with her. Brookline just felt guilty inside. It was unfair to express her mother’s bad intentions to another person when they didn’t know how good her mum really was. Amy was and is the best mother Brookline had ever had and letting this sink in her stomach full of knots made her mum like the bad guy. I mean, the villains are only villains in the heroes’ stories, the second year thought, yet as her abdomen kept swinging into tangles, Brookline kept her mouth shut. Pretending to ponder on what wise Avery had been saying with a firm “understood” nod.

While she kept her silence, Avery did as well, as if they were in a completely quite and cramped vigil. It was suffering. The poor girls probably could hardly breath, all those words and rants were a relief that they were off and out of their invisible backpacks but they were forced into carrying what was heavier and stronger. The words unspoken. It was unlike any other feeling Brookline had ever felt. Like every single time, the Ravenclaw girl wished the universe would just fix everything itself, and instead of her trying to fix it. If Brookline even tried to fix these horrible, terrible thing that happened if to her, she’d just make it unbearably worst. Of course she would. That was just Brookline.

“Brookline makes everything worst” or “Everything is hell with Brookline Quinn”. Perhaps even “Life sucks with Brookline in it”. The young girl wouldn’t be one ounce surprised if that was what her friends talk about behind her back. Her so-called friends probably shoot arrows to her back when she turns around and she is defenseless. What if they did, though?

Franky, I don’t blame them. Brookline thought, the voices still bending her soul’s will. I would to myself as well.

You’re a horrible person, this voice crawled inside and snarked. While this one snarled, And, you might as well be the scum of the Earth.

Despite how good had she been feeling today, Brookline felt heavy with depression. Burdensome sorrow as heavy as two elephants. It felt like the transparent backpack on her back was sagging on the ground. Most days, the weight of the world on her shoulders were always hefting her down. Why wouldn’t it? It wouldn’t be called life if not.

There were no more questions. The voices answered all those life-changing queries, and for some odd reason, Brookline believed them. She believed that the voices were voices and not poison that her brain kept giving her. And, she would drink and drink and drink. Oh, God; it wasn’t too much different from her father.

Then Avery hugged her. It felt as if all those voices had been driven out, at least, for now, and her head begun to clear. That depressing feeling and ice-cold feeling went away, and she left with pure warmth. And Heavens only knows that Brookline would take that emotion any day!

A genuine smile split her face, and the girl began feeling like Old Brookline again. Perhaps when she’d get home, the Welsh Ravenclaw would find her father drinking tea and snacking on a full plate of mushrooms at the table. And no-one would complain about the smell, or they would, just so the house would feel like normal again.

Normal. That was what Brookline wanted. Perhaps she would receive what she wanted or she could not. Everyday was a new adventure, and Brookline just had to live in it. Change would still happen, even how much she would do for it no to happen, but would it change for good? What happened if it was for good?

And what happened if it’s bad? A small, scared voice peeped and Brookline could have flinched. Maybe it was all she had gone through, or the inability to feel anything expect numb til thus fortune, wonderful, sunny day. What if it’s just France, a new scenery, refreshing scences, that helped to feel other than that melancholia feeling?

Brookline pushed it away with a small nudge. She knew she’ll be feeling worst later, yet it was the first time that she’d felt true bliss in a long time. So, of freaking course was she going to ravish in this emotion. She was going to frolic convincingly and remind those foolish voices who she was and who is going to be. But would Brookline ever get a single chance?

Avery pulled away from the nice hug to speak before Brookline would ponder about that question. Once Avery finished, and exhaled with a slight, lenient sigh, Brookline narrowed her eyebrows and contemplated about her underclassmen’s words. Who in their right mind would be glad to meet mad, depressed and numb Brookline? Brookline was a unimportant human, she thought, and she sighed a little bit before she would respond to her new friend. Because, yes, it would be unbelievably rude of her if she didn’t response.

“Yeah, I’m glad too.” Brookline nodded even thought she knew that Avery wouldn’t see her small nod because the younger’s gaze was admiring the French sky. It was all Brookline could say when she flopped back in the grass again to follow Avery, to glance at the sky. She felt choked up as she watched clouds pass by in all different shapes, and she really wanted to push out the ridiculous forms of clouds her mind helped create. The tranquil colour made her feel calm and safe, even if she was settling in the slightly damp grass and in the presence of a younger girl. Even if the girl was a year or less younger. Could they really be true friends or would Brookline or Avery betray the other? It always seemed like someone would always betray people. It was life, Brookline concluded, even if she didn’t think that was exactly the correct answer to such a crippling, and dangerous question.

Would life right itself or would it keep punishing and laughing at wretched Brookline? Was Brookline so broken that she was a mirror? Right now, all she felt whoever broke her had seven years of bad luck. And even if it had been a year left, it seemed like she had gotten jinxed with the less than a decade full of dreadful fortune. Perhaps her father did had that bad luck and he wasn’t visiting because of that? But, of course what would happened if he hadn’t broke her? Would someone else break her instead? Would it someone more important?

Brookline shoved her emotions and questions away and just let it be. If only -- we’re not doing this right now. She knew she remembered how to just be, yet it had been so long that she was a little dusty and rusty. Perhaps it could be fun. It could be an adventure. Yet, all Brookline knew that she wasn’t having mixed feelings, like a ragtag sense of doom or foreshadowing ahead.

There isn’t anything in the future. Brookline reassured herself, and forced herself to look at the sky. Then a real, non-depressing question about nature came to her.

Are the sun, moon, and stars the same everywhere? Is the sun the same at home and the other side of the world? Would there ever be a day where they’d be different?

occ note: oh this is so late: i’m so sorry!! :[