???? ???? ????? ∣ Scream 6

After Asher died, Brandy couldn't stand staying in that house anymore. It wasn't just the hallway in which her brother had bled out, nor were it the walls that now felt like locked gates. Hell, it wasn't even for just the fact she barely was able to sleep when she was in her room, knowing the room next to her would never see its owner again.

It was the house itself, the place that had once felt so full of life, and it was now suffocating with grief, a shared and mutual grief neither of them could escape.

Surely, she could feel Asher's absence in every corner, every shadow. And at times she thought she did see him, catch him from the corner of her eyes. Or maybe that was what she wanted, what she needed, what she hoped. Because the thoughts of lingering around as a ghost was better than the realization of him being gone.

His funeral had been so peaceful, many attending to show their last honor to Asher. Brandy had not been the slightest surprised by the amount of people that had shown. Everybody loved Asher, therefore in a strange way it had felt like a warmth-filled gathering. But it made it all the more sadder that someone like Asher had died.

Her parents really tried their best, but their grief had changed them both into something Brandy didn't recognize. She barely could breathe without them being there. They had grown to be so controlling, hovering around her, watching her every move, questioning whenever she wanted to leave. They kept her on a leash, and with every passing day, that leash got shorter and shorter. Their paranoia became extreme and to some degree Brandy could no longer deal with it. They refused to let go of her, not now, not ever, not after everything that had happened.

They were terrified of losing her too.

She didn't blame them for it.

But for Brandy it was just getting too much, feeling as if she was suffocating slowly. She understood it, they were scared and wanted to protect her but how was she supposed to live her life when there was little to no room for her to do so? How could she even make mistakes and learn from them when she wasn't allowed to do so?

Brandy had always thought she lived a rather sheltered life before this, but compared to that, it felt she was a prisoner in her own home, and she hated it.

It was too much. It felt like she was suffocating in their attempts to protect her from a world that had already taken so much.

And so, when the acceptance letter from Blackmore University arrived, it felt like there was finally a way of escaping, a lifeline even. It wasn't just about her getting a shot at pursuing her dreams, it was a chance for her to finally break free. Of course there was doubt, she had doubted, it had not been an easy decision.

But if moving to New York city meant leaving this trauma ridden place behind, along with the smothering that she felt, Brandy had no other option.

It was this or being held hostage by her own grief and the protectiveness of her parents.

The move itself had nothing been spectacular, just her packing her belongings all while her parents had tried to seem supportive of it, but deep down she knew they where horrified, fearing they would never see her again.

And then the goodbyes came, their silence speaking at a deafening volume. All while she already saw herself already sitting on the train, watching the world flash by.

When she finally boarded that train, a part of her wondered if she was perhaps being selfish. If perhaps what she was doing was just cruel. Her parents had been through hell and now with her leaving too, she wondered if they would manage.

But on the other hand, she couldn't remain stuck in the place that she was, she needed to grow, adapt.

And honestly, when she arrived at Blackmore University, situated in the heart of New York, the world seemed full of endless possibilities. For the first time in months, Brandy felt alive, awakened from her broken mind.

The city was vibrant, full of people chasing their dreams and living in the here and now. Surely New York felt like a concrete jungle, crowded even, something she surprisingly didn't seem to mind at all. Because here no one knew her past, and she could be anyone she wanted to be.

No controlling parents, no people checking up on her asking her how she was coping, no sad glares directed towards her.

And so, her first year of college started and honestly it wasn't anything groundbreaking. It was... okay. She met new people, joined a sorority, and found herself figuring out a place in a world where she was just another face in the crowd. Though, to her shock, some students had heard about the tragedy that followed her, whispered behind her back in hushed tones every now and then. But most tended to remain silent about it, which she did not mind at all.

It wasn't that she wanted to forget, no, that wasn't possible. How could she ever forget Asher? After all, a part of her had died along with him.

But for the first time, she didn't feel weighed down by the shadow and tragedy of her past. It was like she could breathe a little easier here, like she could finally live without constantly looking over her shoulder, without the endless hovering of her parents. She missed them, but at the same time she was also glad that she was far away from home. Was that selfish of her? Or was she merely doing what was the right thing for her?

Brandy had a new life now, a life where she could make new memories and, maybe, just maybe, build a future that wasn't ruled by grief. Of course, she made friends, genuine friends, not just the casual acquaintances she'd had in high school. Her roommate, Olivia Lee, was somewhat of a queen bee, a popular girl everyone seemed to like, and somehow an important figure among the sorority sisters, consider she was the little sister of Rebecca Lee, who had become somewhat of an honorary sister during her time at the university.

Therefor it only seemed natural that Olivia followed in those footsteps. Brandy at first had been rather intimidated by Olivia, whereas Olivia had seemed a little bit stand-offish. But eventually Olivia warmed up, and so did Brandy. And then somehow, they just became friends, best friends. But as Olivia was popular, hanging around her and being friends with her made Brandy popular to a default. Something she wasn't always too thrilled about, as it seemed the more Brandy was seen, the more people talked about her, about her past.

And then there was her other friend, Sarah, who was just a quirky theater major with a knack for making Brandy laugh even when she didn't feel like it. Sarah was so strange at time, saying some of the most unhinged things all while flashing everyone a sweet smile. Brandy could never figure out what was going on in Sarah's head, and what her next move would be. Yet Brandy would be lying if she said she didn't envy Sarah. Sarah seemed to be free, so confident, so full of life.

As for Brandy herself, she felt people did like her or at least didn't seem to mind her too much. Which was good, as she just wanted to meet new people, make new friends, and just have a shot at a fresh start.

But no matter how hard she tried to move forward, she couldn't escape her past. She was always reminded of the past. And that at times made her wonder if she was merely just running from her issues.

Grief wasn't something one did just walk away from.

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If I could escape.
And recreate a place as my own world.
And I could be your favorite girl.

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