40 Days Under

[after 1 second] "It's beautiful here." [after 5 seconds] Julian looked out over the rolling fields before her. [after 9 seconds; append] They stretched out, almost endlessly, from where she sat, directly in front of the van that had carried her and her friends so long to get here. [after 15 seconds; append] The grass shimmered in a way she'd only seen in dreams, [after 18 seconds; append] light dancing off it in waves that made it look like a sea just after sunrise. [after 23 seconds] The sky glowed with streaks of orange and pink, brighter and clearer than any sky she had ever seen back home. [after 30 seconds] Julian pulled her knees tight to her chest. [after 35 seconds] "And I'm never going to see this place again, [after 38 seconds; append] [[am I."->Passage 02]]

[after 1 second] "What makes you say that?" [after 5 seconds; append] Max picked at a thread on their sleeve. [after 9 seconds; append] "We've still got 20 days left. No use dooming and glooming about shit already." [after 14 seconds] Julian sighed. [after 18 seconds] She didn't need to breathe anymore, but she could still sigh if she felt like it. [after 22 seconds] [["I know."->Passage 02 pt 02]]

[after 1 second] Julian sighed. [after 4 seconds; append] "I'm...worried." [after 5 seconds] "You always are," Max replied. [after 9 seconds; append] "It's gonna be okay, J. We just gotta keep moving." [after 13 seconds] "You'd be worried sick too if *your* soul was stuck in a filing cabinet at the end of Tartarus." [after 18 seconds] Julian frowned, and reached down to pick a blade of grass, twirling it in her fingers. [after 22 seconds; append] It glimmered, irridescent, in the light of the permanent sunrise. [after 27 seconds] "Sadly, that misfortune is mine." [after 31 seconds] She paused. [after 35 seconds] "But I *am* glad it's not [[yours."->Passage 04]]

[after 1 second] "Is that really where you think they stuck your soul?" Max scoffed. [after 5 seconds] "Well, is it not?" [after 9 seconds] Max gave Julian a cheeky smile. [after 12 seconds; append] "Well, first off, I doubt it's in Tartarus. You're too stinkin' nice for that." [after 16 seconds; append] Max put a hand on her shoulder, then pulled her into a bear hug. [after 20 seconds; append] "And second off, would they really put it in a filing cabinet? *Really?* [after 24 seconds; append] It's a living thing, isn't it? [after 28 seconds; append] It'd be pretty fucked up if they tucked it into a manilla folder in a drawer, or [[whatever."->Passage 04 pt02]]

[after 1 second] Max was right, of course. [after 5 seconds; append] They usually were. [after 9 seconds; append] They had a way of bringing Julian out from the depths of her worst anxiety spirals. [after 15 seconds] But she wasn't sure it would work this time. [after 20 seconds] She'd lost her soul. [after 24 seconds; append] And technically her life, [after 26 seconds; append] her likeness in reflections... [after 30 seconds] Her ability to walk in [[the light.]]

[after 1 second] The semblance of it in the Underworld was all she had left. [after 5 seconds] And she'd have to leave, permanently, if she failed to recover [[her soul.->Passage 06]]

thoughtblood: true -- [after 1 second] Max suggested eating raw meat as a substitute. [after 5 seconds] Ophelia suggested donations from a blood bank. [after 10 seconds] Julian supposed she'd have to figure it out eventually. [after 14 seconds] But right now, she didn't want to hear it. [after 18 seconds] She couldn't bear to [[think]] about it, despite the fact she couldn't stop doing so.

[after 1 second] It was never far from [[her mind.->Passage 06]]

[after 1 second] Max looked up at her. [after 5 seconds; append] "You're thinking about it again, aren't you." [after 10 seconds] Julian bit her lip. [after 14 seconds] Of course she was. [after 18 seconds] How could she [[not?->FadeToBlack01]]

checkedHands: true -- [after 1 second] Bloodless. [after 3 seconds; append] Lifeless. [after 6 seconds; append] But she still wouldn't go so far as to say soulless, despite the circumstances. [after 12 seconds] At least she hadn't lost her [[heart.->Passage 06]]

MemoriesVisited: MemoriesVisited + 1 config.style.page.link.color: "white" config.style.page.link.lineColor: "white" config.style.page.link.active.color: "cyan-3" config.style.page.link.active.lineColor: "cyan-3" -- [JavaScript] clearInterval(loadTimer26) [continue] {embed passage: 'MemoryLinks'} [if MemoriesVisited > 0 && MemoriesVisited <= 6] [after 1 second] The memories—the events of the last 20 days, and those that led up to them—kept flowing to the surface of her mind. [continue] [if MemoriesVisited > 3 && MemoriesVisited <= 6] [after 1 second] It wouldn't stop. [continue] [if MemoriesVisited > 6 && MemoriesVisited <= 9] [after 1 second] What good does it do to revisit these memories? [continue] [if MemoriesVisited > 9 && MemoriesVisited <= 12] [after 1 second] She'd lost herself in them. [continue] [if MemoriesVisited > 13] [after 1 second] Every thought was haunted by the memory of [[him.->Butterfly01]] [continue] <center> [after 1 second] [[{Memory01Link}->Memory 01]] [[{Memory02Link}->Memory 02]] [[{Memory03Link}->Memory 03]] [[{Memory04Link}->Memory 04]] [[{Memory05Link}->Memory 05]] [[{Memory06Link}->Memory 06]] [[{Memory07Link}->Memory 07]] [[{Memory08Link}->Memory 08]] [[{Memory09Link}->Memory 09]] [[{Memory10Link}->Memory 10]] [after 1 second] [[{Memory11Link}->Memory 11]] [[{Memory12Link}->Memory 12]] [[{Memory13Link}->Memory 13]] [[{Memory14Link}->Memory 14]] [[{Memory15Link}->Memory 15]] [[{Memory16Link}->Memory 16]] [[{Memory17Link}->Memory 17]] [[ {Memory18Link}->Memory 18]] [[{Memory19Link}->Memory 19]] [[{Memory20Link}->Memory 20]]</center>

Memory01Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] She came to her friends in the aftermath. [after 5 seconds] Ophelia sat with her, patched her up, and offered what comfort she could. She'd directed Max to the reference books she had on the subject, and told them to look up what they needed. [after 13 seconds] She already knew the answer. [after 17 seconds] She'd studied all of this at length; of course she did. [after 21 seconds] She told Max to look anyway. [after 26 seconds] She wanted to be wrong. [after 30 seconds] Even though she knew she [[wasn't.->Memory 01 pt02]]

Memory02Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] Max grinned. "Holy shit, J, congrats!" [after 5 seconds] Ophelia laughed, not because the news was funny, but because the joy of it filled the room. "Julian, that's amazing!" [after 10 seconds] Julian smiled back. "Isn't it?" [after 14 seconds] Julian had landed the leading role in an opera she'd loved since she was young, opposite an actor her age she'd long admired, but hadn't worked with yet. [after 22 seconds] It felt like a match made in [[heaven.->Memories]]

Memory03Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] The gate to the underworld was usually closed to mortals, except under certain circumstances. [after 5 seconds] This was one of those circumstances. [after 9 seconds] They'd packed Ophelia's van tight with supplies, and they'd spent their first night there parked under a sky painted bright with a watercolor nebula. [after 15 seconds] They'd slept [[fitfully->Memory 03 pt02]] that night.

Memory04Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] Things were fine, at first. She thought she loved him. She thought he loved her. [after 5 seconds] Love takes work, right? [after 9 seconds] Love is something you choose, right? [after 13 seconds] Even if it's distant, even if it's hard, even if you're not sure you feel anything at all. You care about him, you can stand being in the same room as him, you don't mind it when he holds your hand. That's [[love,->Memory04 pt 02]] right?

Memory06Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] At his core was a bubbling mass of molten iron, [after 4 seconds; append] a rage so deep and permanent it had hollowed him out [after 7 seconds; append] and left him with almost nothing else. [after 13 seconds] He hid it well. [after 18 seconds] But she knew him [[better.->Memories]]

Memory07Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] The underworld was a vast place. [after 5 seconds] Dense, sprawling cities; thick, luminous forests; crystal beaches; starlit mountains; wide, violet deserts teeming with underlife; [after 12 seconds; append] all of it and more stretched on, almost infinitely, beyond the gate. [after 19 seconds] Beautiful, celestial, and surreal. [after 24 seconds; append] Simultaneously familiar and alien to the landscapes found in the land of the living. [after 30 seconds] A world of splendor filled with the souls of the departed. [after 36 seconds] It made it hard to know where you were [[going.->Memories]]

Memory08Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] Julian may have been an anxious, neurotic mess in her day-to-day life, but all of it melted away on stage. [after 6 seconds] She was a shining diamond, a [[star->Memory08 pt 02]] that stole the scene and all the other heavenly bodies in the sky alongside her.

Memory09Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] "Oh, Carmine, look!" she'd said to him. [after 5 seconds; append] "They're screening *Queen Christina* at the downtown cinema. It's one of my *absolute* favorite films, and Greta Garbo's fantastic in it... We just *have* to see it!" [after 13 seconds] Carmine frowned. [after 17 seconds; append] "Why on earth would I want to see a movie like [[that?"->Memories]]

Memory10Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] Ophelia and Max had done their best to cheer her up throughout the trip. [after 5 seconds] And sometimes it worked— [after 8 seconds; append] even now, she could still find some joy in life. [after 13 seconds] Or, rather, unlife. [after 18 seconds] Being undead wasn't always [[misery.->Memory 10 pt02]]

Memory11Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] Max shoved a pair of old roller skates at Julian. [after 5 seconds] "Who cares what that asshole thinks. [after 7 seconds; append] We're going to listen to shitty pop songs in a rink that smells like old pizza, and probably fall on our asses, but it'll be fun, and you definitely need fucking fun right now." [after 13 seconds] It was a few months after she'd moved in with Carmine, and he'd gotten increasingly more critical of her as time went on. [after 18 seconds] She mostly just invited Max over to talk about it, but going out was fine too. [after 23 seconds] Julian laughed. [after 26 seconds; append] "We haven't gone skating since we were in [[high school."->Memory 11 pt02]]

Memory12Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] She was worried when they'd started the trip, of course. [after 5 seconds] But as the days went on, it grew harder and harder to hold onto the sliver of hope she'd started with. [after 11 seconds] This place was massive. [after 15 seconds] And it's not like they [[told you->Memory 12 pt02]] where to go.

Memory13Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] A couple weeks into the trip, [after 4 seconds; append] after Ophelia stopped the van, and asked Max to drive, so she could take photos of the wild flora they were driving past, [after 9 seconds; append] and her excitement made Julian's heart ache, [after 13 seconds; append] looking at her, [after 15 seconds; append] radiant, [after 17 seconds; append] in the light from the window, [after 21 seconds; append] she [[realized.->Memory 13 pt02]]

Memory14Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] Ophelia grabbed Julian's hand and smiled. [after 5 seconds] It was just before the show opened; she could hear the orchestra tuning from her dressing room, and the chatter from the audience. [after 12 seconds] "For [[good luck!"->Memory 14 pt02]] she said.

Memory15Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 seconds] He was charming in his own right, of course. [after 4 seconds] At least, that's what she thought at first. [after 8 seconds] A darling of the critics, and a strong contender for awards season. [after 12 seconds] He had a voice that rang out like bells, and reached even beyond the walls of the theater. [after 16 seconds] She shared his love of music, his taste in wine, his passion for literature. [after 20 seconds] He could cook. [after 22 seconds; append] He could clean. [after 24 seconds; append] He could ballroom dance. [after 28 seconds] Their performances together were always [[magnetic.->Memory 15 pt02]]

Memory16Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] She'd started to suspect something was wrong before it happened, of course. [after 5 seconds] A bloodied mark on his collar, a bandaid on his neck. [after 9 seconds] He said he'd cut himself shaving. [after 14 seconds] But in the following days, he'd grown pale, his eyes sunken, his breathing labored. [after 19 seconds] She tried to get him to see a doctor, but he wouldn't [[go.->Memory 16 pt02]]

Memory17Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] Max noticed long before she'd told them. [after 5 seconds] "It was the way you looked at her," they said. [after 9 seconds; append] "Exactly the same way I look at that guy in my bartending class who I keep saying I'm gonna ask out, and then I don't." [after 15 seconds] They grimaced. [after 19 seconds; append] "Well, maybe it's not exactly the same. But I do think you should [[ask her out."->Memory 17 pt02]]

Memory18Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] She'd known Ophelia and Max since they were children. [after 6 seconds] Sometimes, Julian thought of their younger selves. [after 10 seconds; append] Of them playing in the dirt, looking at rocks, and bugs, and weeds growing out of the asphalt, making concoctions out of dead leaves and hose water, to emulate Ophelia's potion-maker parents. [after 16 seconds] Max was always getting them into trouble (something they mostly grew out of). [after 21 seconds; append] Ophelia was always buried in books related to her many interests, ranging from magic to botany to entomology (which she still did today). [after 28 seconds] And Julian spent her time singing along to songs she loved in her bedroom, [[dreaming->Memory 18 pt02]] of being onstage.

Memory19Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] "I wanted everything to be perfect," he hissed. [after 5 seconds] They were having a dinner party that evening, and she'd made the mistake of getting white wine instead of red. [after 10 seconds] "Everyone knows you pair Cabernet Sauvignon with [[red meat."->Memory 19 pt02]]

Memory20Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] It's not like vampires in general were shunned from society. [after 5 seconds] There were people who could spin lightning on their fingers, and make wildflowers bloom in seconds beneath their feet. [after 10 seconds] If they hurt someone, they were held to the same laws, of course. [after 15 seconds] But she wouldn't have to hide herself [[away.->Memory 20 pt02]]

Memory05Recalled: true -- {embed passage: "RiverLethe"} <center>---</center> [after 1 second] At the very least, they could visit their departed family members in the brief time they were here. [after 6 seconds] The smell of her grandmother's house—something like lemons and dried flowers, but not quite—was something she'd almost forgotten. [after 12 seconds] She'd missed her [[terribly.->Memory 05 pt 02]]

Memory01Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory02Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory03Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory04Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory05Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory06Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory07Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory08Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory09Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory10Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory11Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory12Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory13Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory14Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory15Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory16Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory17Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory18Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory19Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory20Link: "ƹ̵̡ӝ̵̨̄ʒ" Memory01Link(Memory01Recalled): "⧖" Memory02Link(Memory02Recalled): "⧖" Memory03Link(Memory03Recalled): "⧖" Memory04Link(Memory04Recalled): "⧖" Memory05Link(Memory05Recalled): "⧖" Memory06Link(Memory06Recalled): "⧖" Memory07Link(Memory07Recalled): "⧖" Memory08Link(Memory08Recalled): "⧖" Memory09Link(Memory09Recalled): "⧖" Memory10Link(Memory10Recalled): "⧖" Memory11Link(Memory11Recalled): "⧖" Memory12Link(Memory12Recalled): "⧖" Memory13Link(Memory13Recalled): "⧖" Memory14Link(Memory14Recalled): "⧖" Memory15Link(Memory15Recalled): "⧖" Memory16Link(Memory16Recalled): "⧖" Memory17Link(Memory17Recalled): "⧖" Memory18Link(Memory18Recalled): "⧖" Memory19Link(Memory19Recalled): "⧖" Memory20Link(Memory20Recalled): "⧖" --

[after 2 second] He came home in the early hours of the morning [after 5500 ms] Reeking [after 6100 ms; append] of blood and decay [after 10 seconds] He'd been gone for [[days.->Butterfly02]]

config.style.page.link.color: "yellow-6" config.style.page.link.lineColor: "yellow-6" -- [if MemoriesVisited > 6 && MemoriesVisited <= 9] And yet they replay endlessly, flowing and swirling in the mind and tumbling over everything on repeat. [if MemoriesVisited > 6 && MemoriesVisited <= 9] Whirlpool thoughts doomed to never reach the river Lethe.

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[after 1 second] Max and Julian sat in silence for a while. Julian hunched over even further, tightening her grip on her legs until her fingers ached. Max leaned back against the van behind them. [after 8 seconds] The van was Ophelia's. It was probably older than the three of them combined, and painted a bright, rich yellow, with psychedelic flowers printed on every inch of it. [after 15 seconds] Ophelia, the third member of their party, was currently getting a local spirit to draw her a map of the area. [after 22 seconds] "And after," [after 24 seconds; append] she'd told Julian, [after 27 seconds; append] "I've still got all your favorite songs on my phone, [after 30 seconds; append] and we're gonna [[sing our hearts out!"->SingYourHeartOut]]

[after 1 second] "I totally get you've been feeling awful and not up for it, but it'll be fun!" [after 6 seconds; append] Ophelia paused, seeing Julian's halfhearted smile. [after 10 seconds; append] "Well, me and Max will sing, at least. [after 14 seconds; append] And you can join in [[whenever you want!"->EverTheOptimist]]

[after 1 second] Ophelia really was just a ball of sunshine all the time, wasn't she. [after 5 seconds] Julian wished she could return even a fraction of her [[light.->Passage 03]]

[after 1 second] They had two options. [after 5 seconds] Reclaim Julian's soul from the underworld in 40 days, [after 10 seconds; append] or lose it [[forever.->Memories]]

[after 1 second] The gate to the underworld was also closed to the undead. [after 5 seconds] If she failed, this momentary taste of the sublime would be all she'd ever have. [after 10 seconds] The splendor of this [[dreamscape->Memories]] forever out of reach.

[after 1 second] At least she could be here [[now.->Memories]]

[after 1 second] Does it always feel like [[this?->Memories]]

[after 1 second] She did it for herself, of course. She wouldn't have pursued it if she didn't love doing it. [after 5 seconds] But the sound of Ophelia's laugh from the audience always made her heart race. [after 10 seconds] A shared joy that blazed across the entire theater, and warmed her from the inside [[out.->Memories]]

[after 1 second] "They better give you more respect than that, or I'll [[burn the whole place down."->Passage 05]]

thoughtdust: true -- [after 1 second] She'd rather turn to dust than try. [after 5 seconds] But the thought of [[oblivion->Passage 06]] scared her even more.

[after 1 second] In the process, she'd gained a pair of sharp fangs that had a habit of cutting her mouth, an allergy to garlic, and a taste for [[blood]] she couldn't let herself [[indulge.]] Her hands, once a warm, amber brown, were now [[cold and grey.]] [if checkedHands === true && thoughtblood === true && thoughtdust === true] [after 1 second] It made sense to feel [[hopeless.->Passage 07]]

[after 1 second] And it's not like they tell you where you're headed from the get-go. [after 6 seconds] An odyssey [[loomed->Memories]] before them.

[after 1 second] There was a festival in a city they'd passed through, and Ophelia and Max insisted on taking an hour to check it out. [after 6 seconds] They couldn't be there long, of course. But they stayed for a moment and enjoyed the music, and the costumes, and the smell of cinnamon and orange blossoms in the air. [after 13 seconds] Ophelia got a carnival mask for each one of them. [after 17 seconds; append] And Max painted stars on all their hands. [after 23 seconds] There'd be moments like this on Earth, [[too.->Memories]]

[after 1 second] He'd already made his [[choice.->Memories]]

[after 1 second] It seemed like everyone here had a different answer. [after 5 seconds] She guessed that was part of the deal. [after 9 seconds] If the road were the same for everyone, the time limit wouldn't matter. [after 13 seconds] [[...Right?->Memories]]

[after 1 second] Maybe she knew what [[love->Memories]] was, after all.

[after 1 second] A tooth through the neck [after 4 seconds] the taste of iron [after 8 seconds] a burning in the chest. [after 13 seconds] Her soul, [after 14 seconds; append] bright white, [after 15 seconds; append] and luminous, [after 18 seconds] unfurled its wings [after 22 seconds] and departed through the [[open window.->Butterfly03]]

{embed image: '/TwineGames/ButterflyAnimation_NL01_v01.gif', alt: 'White butterfly flying away.'} [after 5 seconds] [[Continue->FadeIntoLight01]]

[after 1 second] She brought a bouquet of goldenrod, clover, and jasmine out from behind her back, with yellow crepe paper wrapped around it. Fern fronds curled between the stems. [after 9 seconds] "I would've given them to you after the show, but just I couldn't wait! And I was worried they'd wilt..." [after 15 seconds] Julian smiled, and hugged her, or as best she could without getting stage makeup on her, or crush the flowers she was holding. [after 21 seconds] "Then we'll have to get them in water straight away, [after 24 seconds; append] [[won't we?"->Memories]]

[after 1 second] Wasn't that [[enough?->Memories]]

[after 1 second] "Well, then it's about time we did." [after 5 seconds] Julian smiled, and took the skates from them. [after 9 seconds; append] "I suppose I can't argue with that..." [after 13 seconds] She paused. [after 17 seconds; append] "Before we go, though... Please, just tell me. What do you think I should do about... [after 20 seconds; append] [[all this?"->Memory 11 pt03]]

[after 1 second] Max frowned. [after 4 seconds; append] "You already know what I think, don't you?" [after 8 seconds; append] They slung their pair of skates over one shoulder. [after 13 seconds] [["Dump him."->Memories]]

[after 1 second] "There's a good chance she'll say [[yes."->Memories]]

[after 1 second] He scowled. [after 4 seconds; append] "Didn't you ever consider what our guests would [[think?"->Memories]]

[after 1 second] Would this be where her younger self expected life to [[lead?->Memories]]

[after 1 second] But there was so much she'd lose if she [[stayed->Memories]] this way.

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config.style.page.link.color: "gray-9" config.style.page.link.lineColor: "gray-9" config.style.page.link.active.color: "yellow-9" config.style.page.link.active.lineColor: "yellow-9" -- [JavaScript] clearInterval(loadTimer26) [continue] [after 1 second] "It's gonna be ok, J." [after 5 seconds] Max's voice snapped her out of her trance. [after 10 seconds] They had a way of doing that. [after 15 seconds] Max looked off into the open field in front of them. [after 19 seconds; append] "*So what* if you can't be in direct sunlight. [after 24 seconds; append] Wear sunscreen. [after 28 seconds; append] And I'll get you a full-body wetsuit and a giant hat, and we'll go to the [[beach."->LiveOn02]]

[after 2 seconds] "You just gotta [[keep going."->LiveOn02 pt02]]

[after 1 second] Julian looked up at Max. [after 5 seconds] And she glanced back to Ophelia, who was walking across the grass to the van, map in hand. [after 10 seconds] They've always been by her side, [[haven't they.->LiveOn04]]

[after 1 second] Keep going. [after 5 seconds] Keep living. [after 10 seconds] Julian [[smiled.->LiveOn05]]

[after 2 second] Made by Milo Finnian Flynn, December 2021. [after 6 seconds] {restart link, label: 'Restart?'}

[after 2 seconds] Maybe she could do just [[that.->End]]

[after 1 second] "You just gotta [[live."->LiveOn03]]

config.style.page.link.color: "gray-9" config.style.page.link.lineColor: "gray-9" config.style.page.link.active.color: "yellow-9" config.style.page.link.active.lineColor: "yellow-9" -- [after 1 second] How to play: Click the links to continue. The text in each passage reveals over time, and is meant to unfold that way, but you can also click anywhere on the screen to advance it if you'd like. You can view a list of content warnings [[here.->ContentWarnings]] When you're ready, you can [[begin.->Begin]]

[after 1 second] This story contains mentions of the following: • Abuse\ • Blood\ • Death\ • Vampirism None of it is very explicit, though. [[Return->HowToPlay]]

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