"Hey, it's fine."
Asher stared down at the ice cream in front of him, a single tear tracing down his cheek.
"I'll come back soon… so don't miss me, alright?" He turned to walk away, then stopped and spun back around. "No, seriously! Don't miss me!" he snapped, glaring at the melting dessert like it had betrayed him.
He hesitated, eyes locked on the slowly softening scoop. The pain in his chest tightened like a vice. He couldn't take it anymore.
"I'll miss you!!" he wailed, dropping to his knees as the ice cream shimmered in the warm light, beginning to puddle.
It was terrifying.
He wouldn't be able to eat ice cream again for a whole year. A whole year. His dear, sweet ice cream!
Sunny blinked. "And I'm the one who needs therapy?" he muttered, watching the scene unfold with equal parts confusion and concern.
Nephis tilted her head, observing Asher with a frown. The ice cream had started talking to him—or at least, he was answering it like it did.
Sunny sighed. "It's our fault. He got too comfortable around us."
Nephis flinched, looking at Asher, "You mean... he let his guard down?"
Sunny nodded, "Sure, Yeah. Let's go with that."
Asher suddenly lunged forward, grabbing the spoon. "Don't worry," he whispered to the bowl, eyes burning with conviction. "I won't let you melt in vain. I'll eat you!"
He took a dramatic bite, as if trying to seal a sacred vow.
Nephis watched him like one might watch a wounded animal trying to dance, then exhaled sharply. "I'm leaving," she said. Instructor Rock had told them to be assembled by 9 A.M., after all.
Before she stepped out, she gave Cassie a last, lingering glance.
Sunny followed her gaze, then looked at Cassie too. There was something unreadable in his expression—maybe pity, maybe understanding. Then he turned and walked silently into the corridor.
Finally finished with his last bowl of ice cream, Asher was about to leave the cafeteria when he noticed Cassie still sitting alone at their table.
He let out an audible sigh and walked over. Without a word, he gently took hold of her arm, prompting a small yelp from her.
"Cassie, it's me," he said softly.
"Oh—Asher. You scared me."
"Sorry," he murmured. "Come on. Let's head to the sleep pods together."
Cassie nodded, rising to her feet. They started walking side by side in silence. Or at least, it was supposed to be silent.
But then she spoke.
"Hey, Asher?"
"Hmm?" he hummed, not breaking his stride.
"Do you think I'll survive?"
Asher's face twitched. "S-Sure."
Cassie flinched at the hesitation. "Why do you think so? I mean... I'm bli—"
"Because you will," he interrupted, voice firm.
She shook her head. What kind of answer was that? "Statistically speaking, it's highly improbable. On my own, I wouldn't last long. Even in a group, it's not guaranteed they'll—"
"What if they don't want to help?" she continued, cutting herself off mid-thought. Her voice trembled slightly.
Asher stopped walking for a moment. She could feel the shift in his tone when he spoke again.
"Hey," he said quietly, but the disappointment was clear. "Why are you so fixated on dying? Yeah, maybe it's the most likely outcome—but do you realize how many other possibilities there are? Do you know how stubborn reality can be when someone decides to fight back?"
Cassie didn't respond. What could she say?
They continued walking, her footsteps heavy with thought.
He was right. She had been shutting out every outcome except death. Refusing to imagine any other path. But what else was there? It was jus—
"Beg."
Cassie's head snapped up at the word, her breath hitching.
"For your earlier question," he said, his voice low and firm. "Beg. Beg people to help you. To protect you. There's no shame in telling others that you want to live."
Cassie halted in her tracks.
Asher walked a few steps ahead before realizing she'd stopped. He turned back, frowning.
Cassie stood frozen. Her fingers clenched tightly around the fabric of her frock, digging in until her knuckles whitened. She bit her lower lip, hard enough that it started to bleed. Tears welled up, slipping down her cheeks without resistance.
"I want to live, Asher," she whispered.
He blinked, caught off guard. "What?"
"I want to live..." she repeated, barely audible now. Her voice trembled like a leaf in the wind. "Please... I beg you... I beg you..."
Her knees buckled slightly, her voice collapsing into a cascade of broken pleas.
"Please... please... I beg you..."
—Thump.
Asher stepped forward and placed his hand gently on her head. His face was unreadable, his eyes distant.
In Cassie's voice—desperate, trembling—he heard an echo of another time. Another place. A boy, no older than ten, crouched alone in the dark. His eyes hollow. His voice dry from crying. Repeating the same words like a broken prayer.
"…I want to die. I want to die. I want to die…"
Asher's jaw tightened.
"Shut up," he said sharply.
Cassie flinched at the sudden change in tone.
"Just fucking shut up," he snapped. "You're not going to die, so quit talking like you already have."
He leaned in slightly, his grip on her hand tightening—not out of anger, but to steady her, to ground her. His eyes weren't looking at her—they were looking behind her, into something only he could see. Seeing the 'boy' curled up.
"Dying is for idiots anyway," he muttered. "And you're plenty smart. So no—you won't die."
With that, he turned and continued walking, Cassie's hand still in his.
Cassie followed, silent. Her sightless eyes couldn't see the way his shoulders stiffened, but she could feel it in the way his steps quickened ever so slightly. She let the tears fall. He didn't say a word. He didn't try to comfort her.
But she didn't need him to.
Her grip relaxed.
Then, quietly, she mumbled, the words hesitant at first:
"...Dying is for idiots."
A strange calm followed, subsiding a certain pain in her heart.
That felt good.
"Dying is for idiots
The pain in her chest eased a bit more. She repeated it again, slower this time.
"Dying is for idiots."
She continued mumbling as the pain in her heart slowly started to thaw.
She smiled a little.
"Dying is for Idiots."
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[Chapter in advance of 200 collections. This is the first half of the chapter. I'll upload the other half after 200 collections!]