In a Life Like this

A girl woke up in a white void.
...
She closed her eyes.
It was better here. She didn't have to think here.
She couldn't hurt anyone here.
They were safe from her while she was trapped here.
This is where she deserves to rot.
...
She opened her eyes to stare into the vastness of this place. It was odd to say, but it felt like this place ate away at her mind.
Sometimes it was hard to remember why she was even here. What she even did.
But every time she tries to remember...
...
She felt her hands shake and closed her eyes.
It was cold here. Lonely. But it's what she deserves.
She shouldn't be so selfish and wish for company if she'll only hurt them. Like she always did for him.
...
She opened her eyes, bewildered.
Him? Who? Did she know someone that she hurt?
...?

Wait, why do I think I'll hurt people? What am I even doing here?
With that thought, the girl stood up and looked around her. On closer examination, she had been resting on a monochrome picnic blanket. It had a similarly colored picnic basket on it, a notebook with a planner, and a small toy piano.
She checked the notebook to find it empty. She opened up the planner.

Things To Do!

1. Spend time with your friends
2. Spend time with Hero
3. Take care of your little brother
4. Practice Piano

The girl looked it over a few times. Every page was filled with the same thing. Hmm...are these instructions? So, she should follow this planner for her days? Seemed simple enough. But...she's been living here for as long as she can remember, and in that time she can't recall having seen another living thing in this place, let alone friends. Come to think of it, how does she tell if a day passes? Hmm...
Thunk
The girl jumped. She looked around, and noticed a black key some distance away.
Weird...where did that come from? The girl thought as she picked it up. She wanted to put it in a pocket, but found the white gown she was wearing had no place for it, so simply held it in her hand. Before she could return to the picnic blanket, she saw something move near her.
A Red Hand. Actually, there were a good amount all around, but this one was close. She tilted her head at it.
A...living thing...here? Maybe...is that one of the friends I need to spend time with?
She began to approach it, but as soon as she got close she heard an unnatural shriek as it darted for her. She jumped back and fell down as it caught her and began to race up her leg with every inch it touched brought stinging as it-
Hiki let out a sharp gasp as she found herself back on the picnic blanket, instinctively clutching at her head. She started to take deep breaths to calm herself, placing a hand over her chest. In and out, in, and out, in...and out...
She felt herself calming down. She looked around her and suddenly felt ill as she saw dozens of those hands out there.
She wasn't going back out there.

Standing up, she took a look at the things with her, desperate to find anything to defend herself with.
The notebook? She picked it up. It wasn't heavy enough. Planner's disqualified for the same reason.
The toy piano? She needed to practice with that, so she shouldn't risk damaging it.
The knife? That's probably the best item- ???
She did a double take. A knife? When did that get there? Oh whatever, it's perfect! She ran over and picked it up. Huh, it seemed like it was already used. It had red stains across the blade, like it had been stabbed into something. Maybe someone stabbed it into a hand earlier?
She picked it up, wiped against her shirt until it was clean, and carried it with her since she had no pocket.
...
Right, the door!
She approached the door, key in her hand. It fit perfectly into the doorknob. Oddly, the key disappeared into the doorknob once it was used.
Hopefully it's better out there than in here.

...

The very first thing she registered was someone throwing themselves at her in a hug.
"Hiki!" A tiny voice cried from her chest. She found herself hugging the boy before she even knew who it was.
"S-Sunny?!" Her voice shakily spoke, already knowing this boy's name.
Sunny looked up from under her, his usual stoic face had a faint, embarrassed smile as he looked up at her. "S-sorry...I missed you..."
She hugged him tighter. "It's okay. I'm here now."
Hiki took this chance to look around the room they were in. It was a large room, bigger then necessary for one person. The room looked disorderly at first, even the flooring in each corner seemed like it was ripped from separate rooms, but she quickly realized it had some rhyme to it.
The far left corner had toys and a television in it, as well as all sorts of fun goodies like jacks and cards were scattered on a hard wood plank floor.
The far right corner had small cubbies and hooks with items both in and scattered on the laminate floor. A set of stairs leading out was also there.
The near right corner had two beds and a pillow fort on a carpet covering the wooden floor. Behind her was the door she came out of.
And the near left corner had what seemed like a functional kitchen with counters, a table, and a wooden floor with signs of use.
"Oh my...is this our room?" Hiki asked, curiously.
Sunny looked up at her and nodded. Wow was all she could think. They were living good.
This was way better than her white room. Why was she...?
"Hiki, can we...play with our friends today?" He looked up at her hopefully.
Hiki smiled warmly at him. "Of course, let's go."
The two went up the set of stairs, Sunny leading her along.

They exited into a magical forest. The tree leaves and grass were a beautiful, vibrant purple, and the sky was a deep blue. She couldn't admire it for long as Sunny took her hand and lead her down a path between the trees. It looked like a lot of people walked up and down it to make it so clear.
It was a surprisingly long walk they were on. It had been about a minute now.
Sunny broke the silence with a tentative "Hiki...is that a knife?"
She held it up to look at it. "Yes. It is."
Sunny shivered. "I-It's not safe to carry that...I don't want you to hurt yourself..."
Hiki continued staring at it, before she looked at Sunny's worried expression. "Do you want to keep it safe?"
Sunny quickly nodded, and before she could think more he yanked it out of her hands when she handed it to him, and placed it in a pocket.
Okay...I guess he knows what he's doing? Hiki went with it.
After another minute or so of mostly silence asides from the sounds of the forest, they found a wall of bushes that they tried to push through.

On the other side, they found a clearing in the woods. A beautiful lake with clear water, and a golden statue in the center. She quickly noticed a group of people on a picnic blanket. Two boys she instantly recognized as brothers were eating sandwiches. There was a girl who was holding a pink bunny and chatting with a boy with a flower in his hair. He noticed the two of them. "Hey!" He called out, causing the other three to turn at them.
Hiki and her brother walked over and took spots on the picnic blanket. Hiki next to Hero, Sunny between Basil and Kel.
"What took you so long?" Kel slapped a hand on Sunny's back as he asked. Sunny mumbled "Overslept..."
Hero let out a chuckle. "Sorry, we ate most of the food waiting for you two." He handed her an uneaten sandwich he saved for her.
"Yeah, Kel." Aubrey spat out while feeding a small bit of carrot to her bunny as it let out cute sounds.
"Hey! It's not like you saved any for Hiki and Sunny!" Kel countered, a brawl surely brewing.
Hero quickly stepped in. "Guys, are you seriously going to fight just as Hiki and Sunny show up?"
"He started it!" Aubrey responded.
"You were the one that-"
"Guys!" Hero grabbed the backs of their shirts and got between them, leaving Hiki there.
"Haha, well...guess we should leave that to Hero." Basil left it at that before he started talking with Sunny.
Hiki let out a small laugh before she closed her eyes, enveloping her in darkness.
...
What am I doing?
She felt so confused. So much has been happening in the last hour and she understands none of it. She has friends? She has a brother? A boyfriend? She was...living in White Space for as long as she can remember, why do these people know her? And why does she know them? This place is so familiar, too...she's been here. Many times. She's sure of it. And if that's true, then...
...That feeling. That feeling of White Space eating at her mind. Maybe it's true. Sunny seemed so excited to see her again...had she been in there for so long she couldn't remember them? Been in White Space for so long, she couldn't even remember her boyfriend, or her own little brother?
The thought terrified Hiki. She was never going back there again. She already had a room with Sunny, anyways. The bets was cozier than a cold floor.
...
...
Hiki slowly opened her eyes, letting out a slight yawn.
It seemed like Hiki wasn't the only one that fell asleep. When she woke up she found Kel, Aubrey, and Sunny fast asleep in a cute pile.
A sudden flash of light exploded in her face. It made Hiki gasp as she cringed her eyes shut and gently rubbed her eyes, blinding white slowly fading from her vision. She grumpily looked up at Basil holding his camera and gave a soft growling "...hey..."
Basil let out a guilty laugh. "Sorry. It was too good to let pass." He took the photo out of the camera and showed it to her after she sat upright.
Kel, Aubrey, and Sunny sleeping in a pile, one of Hiki's eyes sleepily opening as she rested her head on Hero's lap, him smiling for the camera.
"That turned out really great, Basil." Hero looked at the photo with a warm smile before handing it back to Basil.
"I think it looks great, you should put it in the album." Hiki once again spoke words that felt foreign to her, but she was just going with the flow.
Basil smiled. "Thanks. I'm glad you liked them." He set down the album he was holding, and put the photo at the end.
Hero grinned at her "You looked really beautiful in that picture. You're really photogenic, Hiki." She felt a faint blush of embarrassment her face, along with some weird feeling that she couldn't quite place. Did she like hearing him say that, or not?
Hiki blinked out that train of thought, and noticed Sunny had opened his eyes. She gave him a warm smile, and reached a hand to pet his head. "Sunny, you should look at this new photo Basil took." She said to him, coaxing Sunny to slowly pry himself from a sleeping Kel and Aubrey.
"Basil, could I...?" Sunny tugged on Basil's overalls as he asked. "Oh, of course." Basil handed him the album.
Sunny looked over the album, a smile forming on his face as he reminisced.

"Hiki, are you okay?" The concerned voice of Hero echoed in her ear.
She looked at him curiously. "Y-yes?" Her response sounded more like a question.
Hero frowned a little. "You just seem so out of it today. You keep looking around at everything like...it's the first time you've seen it."
Well, it was. She didn't know these people, but she remembered them. "Sorry, I'm just feeling a little out of it. Overslept and all..."
Hero wasn't buying that. "If something's wrong, you can tell me. I promise that I'll do everything I can to help you."
...Hiki felt confusing feelings surge. Why did he make her feel this way...she felt so...like she could tell him anything, even this.
"I, well...don't really..." Before she could say much of anything, she heard a sharp gasp.
She turned to see Sunny, eyes filled with terror as he looked over the photo album.
Hiki felt incredibly anxious. "S-Sunny? Is something wrong-" She reached over to touch his shoulder, and he let out a cry that caused her to jump.
"Whoa-what-who-where-!" Kel and Aubrey suddenly shot up, looking around in confusion.
"Wha-you-get-awghy-" Sunny stumbled over whatever he was going to say as he fell back, and quickly got up and sprinted away, leaving everyone there shocked. "Sunny!" Hiki shouted as she chased after him into the forest, leaving their confused friends to try and chase after them both.

The forest slowly started to change as Hiki called and chased after him. Vibrant purples changed into darker hues, and eventually black. It was so dark, and the forest so thick that the leaves stopped light from penetrating the shade. Hiki knew she was hopelessly lost at this point, and could only hope she'd find Sunny so he wouldn't be here alone. Please, Sunny. Please be okay. I can't lose you, I can't- She repeated desperately through the exhaustion and the pain in her knee. It hurt so much, Sunny can't be that much further ahead, she-
She finds Sunny against a single tree resting in the center of a clearing. He looks at her, so much terror and fear that she recoils.
"S-Sunny? W-what's wrong? Sunny?" She called over to him.
"I-you-please-no-I-I-I-d-d-on't-" Sunny tried to say anything, but his voice was a broken mess of sobs and whimpers and-
And he was holding a knife.
...
"Sunny, please. Don't."
He hesitated only for a moment. He couldn't look at her as he-
"SUNNY-"
He stabbed it into his stomach as Hiki lets out a scream. He silently falls to the ground, landing on his chest and pushing the knife in further.
"SUNNY! NO, I DIDN'T-I-" She rushed over and started to pull him up, quickly yanking the knife out and throwing it behind her. Sunny's eyes were unfocused, blurry, he barely seemed conscious. He was dying.
"No, no-no-HELP! SOMEBODY, HELP US! PLEASE!" She started screaming as she looked around for someone, anyone, there had to be...!
...
...The album.
Hiki slowly picked up the discarded photo album. She saw a series of photo's that weren't there before. She turned a page, and saw...
...A lot of pictures...they were of her. Sunny...was in them, too.
...
...
Ha...hahaha....haha...ha...
...
...
She closed her eyes, dropping the album on the ground.
She didn't want to think about it. She wanted, more than anything, to...
...
...
...
A girl woke up in her room with a pounding headache.
Another one...? A-and so soon...ugh... Was all she could think as she clutched at her head, and forced herself to stand. She held her head as she mindlessly walked into the bathroom, like a puppet being walked along it's strings. She wordlessly got on her knees before the toilet and heaved into it, almost like a practiced motion. Once she was done, she got up and walked in front of the mirror. Her reflection was hideous, but she ignored it as she gargled water from the faucet and spit it out, before starting to brush her teeth. Once she was done she started washing her hands. Her hands started stinging so much from the water, and the soap only made it worse, enough to make her tear up. She poured some water into a nearby cup and took out some medicine dad had prepared for her. She washed it down. Closing her eyes, she waited. And waited. And waited. She started moving again to the door, and back into her room.
Oh, I should check the calendar.
Today's date...it's late at night, so tomorrow's date. She went to circle today, and noticed some writing on the day's date.
Sunny's finally visiting us. Be on your best behavior.
...Oh, Sunny's visiting? That's nice. She hopes he missed her.
Mari marked the date before she stumbled over to her bed and collapsed on it, barely wrapping anything around her before falling unconscious.

...

...

A girl woke up in a white void.
...
She closed her eyes.
It was better here. She didn't have to think here.
She couldn't hurt anyone here.
They were safe from her while she was trapped here.
This is where she deserves to rot.
...
She opened her eyes to stare into the vastness of this place, letting the white nothing blank out her mind.
Sometimes it was hard to remember why she was even here. What she even did.
...
She closed her eyes, letting darkness fill her vision and soothe her heart.
It was cold here. Lonely. But it's what she deserves.
She shouldn't be so selfish and wish for company if she'll only hurt them. Like she always did.
...
...
...
The girl let out a tired yawn and stretched.
She opened hey eyes and rolled over on the cold blanket.
She saw a knife. It had red stains on it.