Chapter Text
(Shizuka art by @Laveerie on Instagram. Cover design by SimplySnaps)
Dark chestnut loafers clicked against the polished marble floor of Dio’s bathroom. The vampire was busy lounging on his bed nose-deep in a magazine about the evolution of trains in the twentieth century. He paid little mind to the clicking of his friend’s shoes in the next room over, though he noticed when the sink stopped running. Dio lifted his eyes from an intriguing paragraph about locomotives just in time to spot Enrico Pucci, a young priest, walking out of his master bathroom with a towel dabbing against his glistening chin.
“You shaved,” Dio muttered.
“I suppose I was tired of hearing about that tickle my beard caused you.” Pucci finished dabbing his neck with the pristine white towel, tossing it onto a hanger before flipping the bathroom lights.
That elicited a small laugh from Dio. He placed the magazine on his bedside table and propped his cheek against his fist. “When you said you needed to see me tonight, it couldn’t possibly have been just to tickle my thighs, could it?”
Pucci shook his head. “No, Sir… It couldn’t.”
Dio lifted his long, pale index finger up with its pointy black nail and nodded. “Speak freely, and don’t call me Sir.”
The priest nearly choked on his own tongue when Dio told him not to use the word “sir.” He kept his surprise relatively hidden, casting it aside and nodding politely. “I suppose I’m just wondering what you’re here for, Dio.”
“In Egypt? I told you, it’s got boundless spiritual resources, and the richest history of any nation in our modern world.” Dio shrugged.
“Not Egypt… Why are you here? What meaning do you attribute to your life? Do you have any long-term goals? Maybe you have a dream?”
Dio’s green lips curled into something of a smile. He crossed his arms, leaning back in bed and propping a knee up as he contemplated Pucci’s question. “I could ask you the same question, couldn’t I? What gets you out of bed every morning?”
Pucci’s eyes shied away from his friend’s. He stared down at the tiled floor of Dio’s bed chamber and frowned. “If you had asked me six months ago, I would have said God.”
The vampire sat a little straighter, looking at Pucci with a bit more attentiveness than before. “What’s changed?”
“I did everything right, followed every rule, dedicated my life to Christ Jesus and his teachings… I was but a humble shepherd with a lively little flock, and life made sense. Then, through no fault of anybody, my entire life was flipped upside down. Every step I took to fix things only made them worse, and in the end my sister was…”
Dio let the silence linger for quite a while before speaking. “...and God didn’t help you?”
Pucci shook his head.
“Your only fault was expecting God to do something about your misfortune. My dear Pucci, the force you call God was the architect of your fate. I asked you when we first met if you believed in gravity. Do you understand what I mean by this now?”
“Gravity isn’t just a force that acts on physical objects,” Pucci clenched his fists. “There’s also a gravity of fate, pushing and pulling us together to complete its plan. Every impossible coincidence in my life, whether you want to call it fate, God’s will, or simple gravity, it’s all too deliberate to be mere chance.”
“Precisely.” Dio snapped his fingers. “Now that you believe in gravity, I have a new question for you… Why isn’t a bouncing ball depressed?”
“I beg your pardon?” Pucci raised a brow.
“A ball, Pucci. A ball I drop toward the ground, why isn’t it depressed?” Dio repeated himself.
“I… Don’t know, Sir.” Pucci frowned.
“That’s quite alright,” Dio rolled out of bed, sauntering over to Pucci and resting a hand on his shoulder. “And don’t call me ‘Sir.’”
“Don’t tell me,” Pucci met Dio’s piercing gaze. “I want to figure the answer out myself.”
“Of course, my Pucci.” Dio lifted the man’s chin with two fingers. “A bright mind like yours will surely come up with the right answer in good time.”
The priest sighed, pondering the question time after time. Why isn’t a bouncing ball depressed? There had to be a deeper meaning to it. Dio never asked pointless questions. Whatever the answer was, Pucci knew it would be painfully simple, yet exquisitely introspective. That was Lord Dio… That’s the man he left everything behind to follow.
“You never said…” Pucci lifted his eyes to meet the vampire’s. “What gets you out of bed?”
A smirk revealed Dio’s razor-sharp fangs. He let out a huff of amusement, spreading his arms out and gesturing to the world around him.
“The same thing as you…” He flashed a single fang, giving the priest a side-eye. "Heaven, baby!”
The iron gates of Green Dolphin Prison slowly veered to the side as a guard waved the incoming bus through. It was a relatively slow day as far as crime was concerned, and only a single inmate was being admitted to the facility. When the bus parked, a lone woman was led out into the unforgiving heat of Florida’s sun. Even at the beginning of December, the sunshine state was often blessed with brutal heat waves. The woman lifted her cuffed hands to shield the sun, though she was promptly chewed out by a guard.
“Pendleton! Keep your hands down!” He lifted his nightstick and threatened to strike her.
(Art and design by @MiyaArte on Twitter)
The woman, a mere girl by the looks of it, lowered her hands and glared at the guards with her icy blue eyes. She was still getting used to the total lack of humanity she warranted as a convicted criminal. She couldn’t even block the sun from her eyes without the imminent threat of violence. This entire system was built upon cruelty and evil, and it planned on chewing her to bits. A girl her age and size wouldn’t last two weeks in the shark tank, that’s what her lawyer argued. Still, Florida law was clear. Certain crimes were so severe that even a child must be tried to the highest degree of the law as an adult. It didn’t matter that she was fourteen when the crime was committed, or fifteen during the trial. The State of Florida deemed her an adult deserving of adult punishment, and there she was.
The guards finished talking among themselves and dragged the blonde inside. She was relieved to feel the air conditioning but knew that relief would quickly fade as she was processed. She was led through the winding halls of the prison with little time to get a bearing for her surroundings. Soon, she found herself in a barred waiting area. The guards left her alone for about ten minutes, but she knew better than to move an inch. After fifteen minutes of standing alone in the cold, empty room, she decided to sit down in a nearby chair. That’s when the door flung open.
“Inmate #FE38432! What do you think you’re doing!?” A shrill cry boomed from the doorway.
The girl snapped to attention, fearing the ruthless batons every guard seemed happy to use on her. A large woman stormed into the room with her arms crossed, inspecting Inmate #FE38432 carefully before writing something on a clipboard.
“Your new name is Inmate #FE38432! When you hear your number, you are to spring up and do as you’re told! I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night, or the last bite of your favorite snack! You’ll drop what you’re doing and comply!” She shouted directly into Inmate #FE38432’s face, drops of spit sticking to the young blonde’s cheeks.
The woman checked her clipboard one last time with a curious hum. She seemed repulsed by whatever she found. “God, you’re an animal. No wonder they tried you as an adult.”
The girl hung her head, unable to defend herself. She’d willfully given up her freedom and pride, but sticking by that decision became harder by the day. The system wanted to break her, and she wouldn’t let it… She was going to survive out of spite. Her life wouldn’t be ruined, not by him. She simply wouldn’t allow it. As she was led out of the processing room, her eyes lifted up toward the higher levels of the prison. There, she caught the gaze of a tall and muscular biracial Japanese woman for just a moment. She was wearing a crop top and had a butterfly tattoo, and seemed quite interested with Inmate #38432 from afar. The girl didn’t care. Anyone could stare if they wanted, lord knows they already did.
Jolyne watched as a mere child was taken into the main area of the female ward with morbid curiosity. She rested an elbow on the railing and tilted her head as their eyes met for a brief moment. Soon, the blonde was led out of view. Jolyne noticed her cellmate Gwess creeping up behind her. Gwess placed two hands on the railing and leaned down for a better view.
“Look at that… A little girl.” Gwess mumbled.
“I wonder what she did to wind up here.” Jolyne shook her head.
“A kid her age could only be here for murder. It’s odd… She doesn’t look like she’s got it in her.” Gwess shrugged.
“No,” Jolyne shook her head. “I saw it in her eyes, just for a second. She knows why she’s here… That wasn’t a look of frantic confusion. She was at peace with her decision.”
“Is that so? What makes you an expert?” Gwess laughed.
“It’s the look I had when I decided to stay in this prison.” Jolyne said grimly.
Shizuka Joestar stood beside a hospital bed with grief on her face. She clenched her fists, looking away from the upsetting picture for a moment before facing reality. Jotaro Kujo lay dead before her, hooked up to a myriad of life support machines that barely kept his heart beating for another moment. With all her expertise, all her power, and everything she worked for, Shizuka had no idea how to fix this. She didn’t even know where to begin.
“What do you mean it’s gone?” She asked again.
A Speedwagon Foundation doctor stood beside her with a level of respect he’d never held for a child. Shizuka’s posture just demanded authority, and the way he was instructed to call her “Ma’am” before she arrived certainly wasn’t helping his nerves. He cleared his throat a few times before referring to his file.
“Jolyne Cujoh reports that Jotaro’s Stand was somehow taken from him by an unknown enemy. Star Platinum was allegedly transformed into a compact disc, and Jolyne refuses to leave the prison until she recovers it.”
Shizuka rested a hand on the side of the hospital bed. She felt a rush of grief and regret as Jotaro’s expressionless face stared off into space. While she was having fun and messing around at school, her friends and family were risking their lives against some unknown adversary. Someone could actually steal Stands? What were the implications? What did they use them for? She needed answers… She wanted on the ground.
“I need to know everything. Who was Jotato relaying all of this information back to?”
“Yes Ma’am! He was working with another Arbiter! I’ll get her here right away!”
The Speedwagon Foundation had quite a few of the fastest planes in the world at their disposal, and this was a time of crisis. Getting an Agent from one part of the country to another on short notice was an absolute cinch for an organization with such resources. That’s why Shizuka wasn’t surprised to hear the office door open two hours later to reveal a familiar face.
“Agent Ripley,” She grinned, hopping out of her chair and approaching the woman.
“Shizuka! God, you’ve grown! It’s only been a few months! What’re they feeding you, kiddo?” Ripley laughed.
Shizuka was multiple inches taller than Ripley, and their disparity only seemed to grow with every meeting. The girl was a solid 5’5, but she knew she had more growing to do. Tsuru was a very tall woman, after all. Ripley, on the other hand, looked just as she did three years prior when they saved the world from Blondie. The agent wore a dark blue suit with gold buroke and lightning bolts branching all throughout. She kept her head shaved clean, and her eyes were a piercing orange. She gave Shizuka a big hug, slapping the girl on the back.
“It’s good to see you too,” Shizuka pulled away with a chuckle. “Wish we could be here under better circumstances, though…”
Ripley’s expression darkened. She had a lot of explaining to do…
About twenty minutes later, they sat apart from each other at a solid oak desk. Shizuka’s hands were folded on the sleek surface, though her feet kicked to and fro beneath the surface. She dug her teeth into her lip and shook her head in disbelief.
“We have no idea who we’re up against?”
“Johngali was the only one dumb enough to show his face. We have no idea how many co-conspirators might be on the inside. Still… To frame Jolyne for murder and lure Jotaro right into a trap? These people are organized, dangerously organized.” Ripley concluded.
“How long have you been on their tail?” Shizuka mumbled.
“Not long enough. We were hearing whispers of something big, but it was slim pickings until Jolyne’s frame job. That’s when all the pieces fell into place. We should’ve known better. It all came too easily.” Ripley rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I never should have let him go alone.”
“He’s her father,” Shizuka shook her head. “He had a plausible reason to be there. It wouldn’t have aroused suspicion.”
“Now Jolyne’s in there alone with an unknown number of hostile Stand Users, and she’s not leaving until she gets that disc.”
“Looks like we’re in a fine pickle, Agent.” Shizuka leaned back in her chair, propping a knee against the table with a sly grin on her face.
“I don’t like that look, Jojo.” Ripley frowned. “What are you plotting?”
“I’m going in.”
Inmate #FE38432 walked into her cell with an icy demeanor. She tried to look cool on the outside, but her reality was setting in slowly but surely. Her new bed looked anything but inviting, and the toilet was in clear view of the cell across from her… Was she meant to use the bathroom in front of other women? She bit her lip in discomfort, looking around the cell with a shiver down her spine.
“Due to your unique circumstances, you won’t be sharing a cell with another inmate. Don’t let that generous benefit delude you though. You’re still a murderer, Inmate #FE38432, and your age won’t matter much behind these bars.” The guard growled.
The youthful blonde rested a hand on her bunk bed with a weak smile. “I was put behind much stronger bars a long time ago… They were just on the inside.”
“Hah! If you say so, brat. See how far talk like that gets you in the lion’s den!” The guard sauntered off with a clear glee for his job.
Inmate #FE38432 sat on her bed and stared at the toilet with an empty feeling in her chest. None of it felt real… Even though she chose this, her will began to falter. Could she really handle thirty years of this…? A pit grew in her stomach as she thought about how long thirty years really was. That was basically her entire life! Just as she was about to break down feeling sorry for herself, she heard a gentle knock on her cell’s bars.
“Hey… You’re the kid, right?” A woman with piercing red eyes purred from outside Inmate #FE38432’s cell.
The blonde sat up and quickly wiped her eyes. She sniffled, nodding her head. The dank, cold cell was so dark that the mysterious figure appeared as a mere silhouette against the bright overhead lights of the main hall. The only detail Inmate #FE38432 could make out were those unsettling eyes. The young girl scooted closer toward the door and waited.
“I’ve got contacts on the outside. They told me all about your case… It’s absolutely heartbreaking.” The shrouded figure smiled, her long fingers coiling around the bars of Inmate #FE38432’s cell. “Imagine a little girl like you ending up in a place like this.”
The little girl in question swallowed nervously at the stranger’s tone. Those red eyes made her extremely uncomfortable, and having the details of her case discussed in any detail brought her a great deal of anxiety. “What do you want?” She asked with a shaky voice.
“Oh, honey… I don’t want anything.” The woman leaned to the left, gripping the bars like a pole and gracefully dipping into the cell like a dancer. She wrapped a leg around the bars, hovering a few feet away from Inmate #FE38432. Up close, the blonde could see just how odd this stranger’s features really were.
(Art and design by @MiyaArte on Twitter)
She had paper white skin. It wasn’t just pale, rather it appeared to be whiter than a fresh sheet of printer paper! There wasn’t a single blemish on her skin, even though she must sweat a great deal in a Florida prison. Her face looked pristine, like a mannequin. Her hair was peach, and it was shaved smooth except for a fluffy patch on the very top of her head. This patch was perfectly shaped into a “Z,” and it looked like she kept it religiously trimmed.
Inmate #FE38432 noticed just how thin and wiry the stranger really was up close. Her ribcage could be seen through her shirt, and her arms looked like they could be snapped like tree branches. Was this woman malnourished? She couldn’t look away from those piercing red eyes, though.
“All I want is to welcome you. Can you accept a warm welcome?” The stranger grinned, offering Inmate #FE38432 her free hand.
The small blonde nodded her head, extending a hesitant hand to the stranger just to get her out of the cell. The wiry woman gripped Inmate #FE38432’s hand firmly, digging her nail into the girl’s skin and drawing a bit of blood.
“A-Aaa!” She swatted the woman’s hand away, clutching her wound in disbelief. “What’s wrong with you!?”
The stranger seemed satisfied. She swooped around the cell door once again and placed her face between the bars. “Get ready for a rough night. If you’re around tomorrow, come find me. The name’s Zed.”
With that, Zed strolled down the hall and left Inmate #FE38432 alone. The blonde applied pressure to her bleeding hand with bated breath. What was that bitch’s problem? And what did she mean by “If you’re around tomorrow?” Where the heck would she go? She was in prison for the next thirty years! The young girl threw her head against her pillow and groaned. She checked her wound to see how bad the weirdo got her. That’s when she felt like she was really losing it.
“W-What…?”
The wound was gone! There was still a small mark where the bitch’s nails scratched her, but it had completely closed! Not only that, but the blood had seemingly dissolved into thin air! Had she misjudged the injury in her confusion? That didn’t seem right, but what else could explain the state of her hand? It was fairly dark in the cell… Her heart continued to pound for another minute or so, but eventually it settled. There was no imminent threat to keep her adrenaline pumping, and she was incredibly exhausted.
Inmate #FE38432 rested her head on her new stiff pillow with a sigh. The bedding was uncomfortable, but that much was expected. That strange interaction would keep her up most nights, though she’d had quite a week. There would be time to deal with that crazy Zed lady in the morning. For the time being, she would sleep…
Ermes Costello had just finished working out for the evening. She walked through the main hall of the female ward and took the steps up to her cell block. A guard had made some comment about Ermes receiving a new cellmate that morning. She’d enjoyed her brief respite of solitude, but it was rather uncommon to have a cell all to yourself. Ermes would lay down the law straight away, of course. She wasn’t going to tolerate some annoying bitch ruining her place of zen every evening.
As she approached her cell, something felt off. She always trusted her instincts, so Ermes put her guard up. She peeked into the cell through the bars closest to the wall, gasping at the sight of a grown man sitting on her bed! He had long pink hair, and his outfit was adorned with fishnet and footprints…
“Hey!” Ermes stormed into the cell with a vengeance. “What the hell are you doing in here!?”
The mysterious man appeared surprised by Ermes’s arrival. He turned to face the woman, revealing a pile of Ermes’s laundry sitting beside him on the bed.
“Oh, hello.” He smiled patiently. “I’m Anasui. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Ermes’s jaw dropped seeing her clothes being handled by this strange man. She walked right up to him and tore her bra from his hands. “What the fuck are you doing with my clothes!?”
“Ah, this probably looks a little strange…” The man chuckled. “Well, I was just curious about your size. Sharing clothes can be a lot of fun, you know? But it seems like your shoulders are a little too broad.”
She’d heard enough. Ermes grabbed the man by his shoulders and ripped him from her bed. She spun him around, slamming his back against the far wall with a snarl. “What’s a man doing on this side of the prison? Are you one of them?”
“Them? I can be they/them sometimes, yes…” He shrugged. “Why are you being so violent? I’m your new cellmate.”
“Like hell you are! I’m getting the guards. They can’t be fucking serious about rooming me with a guy.” Ermes shoved her “cellmate” aside and stormed down the hall. “Guards! There’s a man on this side of the prison! What’re you guys even paid for!?”
“You can’t be serious!” A guard gasped. “Where is he?”
“My cell. Come get him.” Ermes spat.
When she arrived with the guard, Ermes was greeted with quite a different view from before. The man in question had shrunk a solid three inches while she was gone! Not only that, but he had solid C-cup breasts, and even feminine hips! He didn’t have time to put on more presentable clothes, though, so he stood with his back to the door. It was clear that he(?) was topless, and the guard seemed even more confused than Ermes.
“Er- Ehm… What’s going on, Costello?” The guard muttered.
“Wh-” Ermes pointed at the man in disbelief. “He was a man thirty seconds ago! I know what I saw!”
“Christ almighty… She might be a little masculine, but you don’t have room to talk. You girls get along, or you’ll be sorry.” The guard shook his head and walked away.
Ermes stepped into the cell with boiling blood. The “woman” turned to greet her with a big grin. Holy hell, those were some nice tits. They looked real, too, not like they were stuck on with plastic surgery. How did they grow so fast!? The man’s shirt from before exposed his entire chest, and it was completely flat!
This only caused the mysterious cellmate to giggle once again. Even her voice was feminine! “Wow! You went and told on me? That’s, like, totally uncool!”
Ermes needed to pick her jaw up off the floor. She’d seen some weird shit over the past few weeks, but this easily took the cake. “How did you… This has to be some kind of Stand, but what’s the point of an ability like that?”
The cellmate burst out laughing, throwing her head back and slapping her knee with amusement. “I’m sorry, it’s just always so funny! It never gets old, and I’ve been doing it my whole life!” She crossed her arms behind her head, leaning her back against the wall as her pink eyes locked onto Ermes’s. “My name’s Anasui, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Er…” Ermes was still buffering after that display of modern gender gymnastics, but she didn’t get any harmful vibes from Anasui. “I’m Ermes Costello. If you don’t mind me asking… Which are you?”
“Hmm?” Anasui lifted a brow. “Which what?”
“Y’know, a boy or girl!? Man or woman? Do the tits hide somewhere when you’re in boymode!?” Ermes laughed nervously.
“Does it really matter?” She shrugged.
“It does to me! I don’t wanna share a cell with some guy!” Ermes crossed her arms.
“Then I’ll be a girl in the cell. Doesn’t really make a difference to me.” Anasui shook her head.
“So long as we’re in agreement.” Ermes sighed. “And the bottom bunk’s mine. Get your ass off it.”
Anasui hopped off the bed with a smile. She gestured toward it respectfully, as if telling Ermes to have at it. “Just so you know… I’m not new around here. I spent a year in the male ward…” She explained.
Ermes laughed. “What brought you to this side, then? Tired of all the testosterone?”
“Actually… I’m here to meet a woman.” Anasui placed her index finger on her bottom lip. “How do I explain this without sounding like a crazy person? I believe my soulmate is here in Green Dolphin Prison… And I needed to come to the female ward to meet her.”
“...yeah, totally… You didn’t sound crazy at all.” Ermes scoffed.
“I’m glad you think so! Some people mistake my blunt nature with insanity, but I prefer to think of myself as conversationally efficient.” Anasui stepped a little closer to her cellmate. Their toes touched, and she looked up into Ermes’s eyes. “Now… I think you can actually help me out. You see, the woman I’m looking to meet is…”
“KUJO!” A guard rattled Jolyne’s cell bars with his nightstick, startling her away from her magazine. “You have a phone call on line twelve! It’s prepaid, like always.”
Jolyne sighed, placing her magazine down and rubbing her nose in frustration. It was no doubt her mother trying to get a hold of her for the umpteenth time that week. She’d been dodging Maura’s calls for a while at that point for a variety of reasons. Firstly, she just didn’t know what to say to the woman. Maura would obviously have questions, and Jolyne didn’t have any satisfying answers. Not only that, but the line couldn’t be trusted. Someone on the prison’s staff was scheming against the Joestar family, and she couldn’t let her guard down for a moment. Anything she said to her mother could be used against her if the adversary was listening somewhere in the depths of the prison.
Still… How she longed to hear her mother’s voice. She hadn’t seen the woman since she was arrested all those weeks ago. Her heart ached at the thought of hearing Maura, of receiving reassurance from the woman. She wanted to talk to her mother, no matter the risks… Jolyne pried herself out of bed and trudged down the hall with a little yawn. It was almost lights out, and nearly everyone had retired to their cells for the night. The halls were empty, and when she arrived at the phones, she was completely alone.
Line twelve was hanging off the hook. Jolyne approached it without much thought, but just as she was about to grab the phone, something stopped her. There was a little voice in the back of her mind alerting her of danger. Her hand hovered an inch from the phone, but she couldn’t close the distance. What was wrong…? She felt a shiver run up her spine, and suddenly knew she wasn’t alone in the room anymore.
Whether it was a slight draft, a tiny noise that would normally go unnoticed, or really Jolyne’s sixth sense kicking in, she could tell someone was in the room. She tensed up, looking over her shoulder. When she couldn’t find anyone in view, it startled her even more than if there had been an enemy. She was so sure… But there wasn’t anyone after all?
Click.
The sound of a gun’s hammer clicking into place filled the empty room with a distinct echo. Jolyne’s eyes widened as she witnessed a standard issue handgun materialize out of thin air. It hovered in front of her face, and she barely had any time to react! The gun was floating! Or was it…? Could her assailant be invisible? That would explain her nerves from earlier!
Either way, it didn’t matter anymore. Someone had a gun to her head, and she wasn’t about to leave her fate up to their mercy. Stone Free’s thread spun from Jolyne’s index finger, snaking its way through the air and wrapping itself around the barrel of the gun. It laced itself into a bulletproof net just outside the barrel, then trailed down to pull the trigger itself.
The gun fired, its bullet instantly clanking against the net and bouncing away harmlessly. The invisible assailant dropped their gun, letting it clank against the floor. Before Jolyne could celebrate, she felt an invisible fist plunge into her stomach, knocking the wind from her lungs and sending her flying into the phones. She struck her back against the metal box around a phone’s cage, causing her eyes to widen in agony as she fell to one knee. An invisible enemy sure was irritating, but Jolyne wasn’t about to be undone by a parlor trick.
Stone Free slid across the concrete floor at top speed, slithering around in search of the enemy’s feet. When the thread found its target, it was a simple task to create a thin outline of their body with the glowing blue thread. Jolyne grabbed the gun with Stone Free’s hand, aiming it right at her opponent’s head. Without an ounce of mercy, she pulled the trigger. This person tried to lure her into the room and shoot her dead! They didn’t deserve her consideration!
The bullet seemed to curve in the air, heading directly into the ceiling instead of her opponent. She gasped, noticing a shimmer of light leading the bullet away from its target. Just what was this person’s ability!? A hand grabbed her gun, lifting it up once again and pointing it directly toward the hand’s own head. Jolyne’s eyes widened, and at this point she acted purely on instinct. She pulled the trigger once again, and this time it landed right on target.
CLANK!
Her enemy became visible just as the bullet made contact with their head. She watched the bullet bounce uselessly off of the person’s forehead like it had just struck solid metal. The bullet clattered against the concrete floor, slowly rolling over toward Jolyne and eventually bumping into her shoe. After her eyes finished explaining the outrageous sight to her brain, she noticed something even weirder than the bullet. This person… She knew her.
“S-Shizuka…?” Jolyne asked in disbelief.
Sure enough, Shizuka Joestar stood tall above her disoriented cousin with her arms crossed in amusement. She was still wearing her modified Catholic schoolgirl uniform, looking quite out of place in prison. Shizuka reached down and offered Jolyne a hand with a playful smirk.
“Boy, am I glad to see you safe and sound.”
Jolyne accepted the hand, rising to her feet in a blur. She was still about five inches taller than her cousin, but Shizuka had certainly grown since they last saw each other. She looked at the girl like she was staring at a ghost, her eyes struggling to believe the view.
“I don’t… I don’t understand.”
Shizuka just leaned in and scooped her cousin into a great big bear hug. She squeezed Jolyne as tight as she could, patting the woman’s back and sighing loudly. Jolyne was left speechless for the second time in one minute. She leaned into the hug, arms limply draping themselves around her cousin’s sides.
“Think it’s been too long since you’ve gotten one of these.” Shizuka grunted into Jolyne’s shoulder, giving her another loud pat on the back.
It was true. After weeks and weeks of playing the tough girl act, Jolyne felt tempted to crumble into a million pieces at this small gesture of empathy. She’d been degraded, dehumanized, thrown into a cage and tortured by superpowered freaks for the better part of two months at that point. She even had to confront her bastard of a father on top of everything else! She was completely drained, yet nobody in the past two months ever asked how she was feeling… Sure, Ermes and Foo Fighters made sure she was well-rested and unharmed, but this was different… She leaned her weight into Shizuka, somehow confident that the girl could support it for a moment.
Jolyne cleared her throat, pulling away with a few firm pats on Shizuka’s shoulder. She sniffled, shaking it off for now. “What are you doing here!?”
“Gosh…” Shizuka looked over her shoulder. “Jotaro tried so hard to protect you from this world… yet here you are.”
“This world? You mean prison?”
“All of it. Stands, monsters, mortal danger… It kept him up at night. This is basically his worst nightmare.” Shizuka frowned.
“Psssh, sure. Like that man lost one minute of sleep over me. If he really gave a shit, he’d have been around for at least half of my childhood.” Jolyne crossed her arms with a huff.
Shizuka sighed. There was a time where she’d nod her head and agree with things like that, but her time traveling with Jotaro back in 2009 permanently changed her opinion of him. He wasn’t a perfect father, and she definitely wouldn’t want to have been raised by him alone, but he tried pretty damn hard, and he only had Jolyne’s safety at heart. Still, she knew better than to argue that with the woman. Jolyne was the victim, she had every right to feel abandoned, because she was.
Jolyne noticed the tension, but she wasn’t about to pry. She knew Shizuka stayed with the others during that weird emergency vacation a few years ago, and with the way the girl was acting, it seemed like she definitely knew more about the current situation than a teenager should.
“Why’d you attack me, you little freak?” Jolyne tried to change the subject.
“Oh, y’mean this?” Flower Child grabbed the gun and lifted to Shizuka’s hand. “Not to sound condescending or anything, but I was kind of testing you… When I heard you stayed behind to find Jotaro’s discs, I knew you probably had a strong enough Stand to protect yourself, but I guess I just wanted to be sure.”
“You were… going easy on me?” Jolyne asked in surprise. She’d gone all out against the little scamp before she discovered her identity.
“I guess so? I didn’t plan on hurting you too bad!” Shizuka shrugged.
“I could’ve shot you!” Jolyne shouted. “That was so dangerous?”
“Oh, like this?” Shizuka put the gun up to her head and pulled the trigger.
BANG!
A flash of spiritual fire flared from the impact zone, and Jolyne noticed a second Stand hovering above Shizuka’s shoulder. This one looked a lot like Flower Child, but was the size of a grown woman and blazed with roaring flames. The bullet clanked off of the girl’s head just like before, rolling across the uneven floor. Shizuka grinned, tossing the gun aside after the little demonstration.
“I wasn’t exactly worried about you hurting me, no offense. Your Stand’s got some mettle, though. What’s it called?”
“Stone Free…” Jolyne stared at the impact site on Shizuka’s temple. There was a small black smudge on her skin, like it had been charred or something. It seemed to be fading before her eyes. “Stand? That’s what my-” She refused to call Jotaro her father, even if he was in danger. “That’s what he called them.”
“Jotaro taught me almost everything I know about Stands and their properties. Well… retaught. It’s a long story.” Shizuka grinned. “I honestly can’t believe the big lug came here on his own to rescue you. I’m only a phone call away.”
“A phone call away?” Jolyne felt like her mind was short-circuiting. “What. Are. You. Doing here?!” She grabbed the girl’s shoulders and shook her with every word.
“Remember back in Gainesville when we fought those fictional characters? They were brought into reality by your friend Sid?”
“I do… Are you telling me that Sid had one of these Stands?” Jolyne held her face in frustration. “Why didn’t I put two and two together!? Of course that was a Stand!”
“To think you’ve been trapped here fighting Stands for weeks now… This place is a nightmare.” Shizuka looked around thoughtfully.
Jolyne spat, crossing her arms and averting her eyes. “I’m not leaving without that disc. I don’t care if it takes my whole fifteen year sentence.”
Shizuka sighed, rubbing her chin as she ran through her options. “I guess there’s no chance you’ll leave with me right now, then? I’ll find the disc, you can count on it.”
The older woman shook her head.
This elicited a louder sigh from the girl. “Okay then… Here’s the deal, I’m going to find the disc as quickly as possible. Just lay low and be safe until you hear from me again. We have the element of surprise, now. The enemy doesn’t know I’m here.”
“Wait, Shizuka?” Jolyne scrunched her nose. “How did you even know this was happening?”
Shizuka started to walk away, but she looked over her shoulder for a moment. “Your mom called. I told her everything I knew.” With that, she left the room.
Jolyne stood there with her head hung. After weeks of dodging calls, her mom knew anyway? She could’ve at least heard Maura’s voice? She cleared her throat, walking back to her cell. If Shizuka had a way to find the disc, she wasn’t going to complain. She just hoped the enemy wouldn’t strike in the meantime…
Shizuka was quite good at keeping her footsteps silent, but she was only invisible, not inaudible. A careful ear could hear her shoes, and any other sound she made prowling around the prison. There was only one person in the world who could freely roam such a high-security building without a care in the world, and that’s exactly who she brought on this mission. The invisible girl walked up to an agreed upon broom closet and knocked on it three times. After a brief delay, the door gently swung open. She stepped inside, seeing a purple rift of energy seal itself over the door and engulfing the room in a shroud. Finally, she could speak freely.
“Satisfied?” Pepsi smirked, leaning against the far wall with their arms crossed. Of course, Shizuka had to bring backup. When she considered infiltrating a prison, one person came to mind. Pepsi’s Mist would be able to walk right into the prison without issue. They could open doors, flip through secure files, and even have conversations in the middle of a crowded hallway without being detected.
Shizuka shrugged. “She’s pretty strong, I can tell. Not only could she stand up to my sneak attack, but she’s been surviving this place for weeks. I’m sure she can make it another few days.”
“Good,” Pepsi nodded. “What’s our next move?”
“Jotaro’s in critical condition until we find his disc. Jolyne reported that two CD’s were ejected from his face when that mysterious Stand attacked him. She didn’t get a very good look at them, but she’s positive that one of the discs is his Stand.”
“What makes her so sure?” Pepsi raised their brow.
“She found a big pile of discs on the premises. They were all Stand Abilities… Not only that, but he shoved one of them into a plankton and had it guarding them all…”
“These discs don’t just take Stands, then? They somehow convert them into a Stand that can be used by anybody?” Pepsi asked incredulously.
“It seems so…” Shizuka frowned. “Goes against everything I know about Stands, but I can’t deny the evidence. This white Stand can give your ability to somebody else, and that’s one of the most terrifying powers I’ve ever heard of.”
“There’s gotta be some catch.” Pepsi shook their head. “He’s got Star Platinum, Jojo. If it were that simple, he could just toss it into an inmate and kill Jolyne instantly.”
Shizuka nodded. “I hadn’t thought about that… I guess my hypothesis is that certain Stands might be harder to wield than others? I can’t picture anybody but Jotaro using Star Platinum.”
“Well, we won’t have to worry about it for long. I’m gonna tear this place apart until I find Jotaro’s discs. Then we’ll take care of whoever’s stealing Stands around here.” They grinned.
“Something’s just not right…” Shizuka sighed. “Jolyne swears that the white Stand ejects two discs from its victims… One of them is the Stand, but the other…? It could be anything.”
“He sure went through a hell of a lot of trouble to get his hands on whatever it is.” Pepsi nodded. “All the more reason to act quickly.”
“Two discs…” Shizuka stared into space as she contemplated the pieces of her newest puzzle. “A Stand, and what…?”
Pucci walked across his office with a cup of tea and a scowl sour enough to turn milk. His presence tugged a gentle purr from his cat, and he took a moment to pet it before sitting down at his desk. Pucci’s fingers drummed against his cup as he repeated those special words under his breath.
“Spiral staircase… Rhinoceros Beetle… Desolation Row… Fig Tart… Rhinoceros Beetle… Vía Dolorosa… Rhinoceros Beetle… Singularity Point… Giotto… Angel… Hydrangea… Rhinoceros Beetle… Singularity Point… Secret Emperor…” He hissed into the steam of his tea. Those words, those special words written by his most cherished friend… What did they mean? He hadn’t come up with Heaven, he was only a believer. Dio was the mastermind behind it all.
The priest slid his desk open and retrieved a glossy platinum disc from an envelope inside. He slid the disc right into his forehead, reliving the experience of reading Dio’s diary once again…
"What you can find beyond the powers of my Stand is where you need to go in order to find Heaven. What you need is a trustworthy friend . He must be someone capable of controlling his own desires. He must be someone who is not interested in political power, fame, wealth, or sexual desire, and who chooses the will of God before the law of humans. Will I, DIO , be able to meet someone like this one day?”
Pucci pulled the disc partly out of his mind, clutching the desk with his free hand as those words haunted him. Dio’s entire plan hinged on meeting a true friend. That must have been such a difficult task for a man like him. To achieve Heaven meant subjecting oneself to absolute vulnerability. Dio needed someone to watch his back during those vulnerable moments. Not only that, but he needed someone to take care of him.
“Courage will be the hardest trial of all. I’ll need the courage to destroy my own Stand, killing myself for a brief moment before returning to this world. Then, at my most vulnerable, my ‘friend’ will speak these fourteen phrases to me. Even in my compromised state, I will recognize those phrases, and I will trust him with my life.”
A brief moment? The World had certainly been destroyed, but not for a brief moment. That man, that awful Jotaro Kujo, had destroyed Dio’s Stand and banished him from this world for twenty years! Pucci slammed his fist against the table, fuming with rage.
He pushed the disc into his skull once again, repeating Dio’s words to soothe his nerves. This didn’t work. He threw his tea across the room, causing the glass to shatter against the wall and launching the cat off of a coffee table with a piercing screech.
“IT’S NOT FINISHED!” Pucci wailed at the top of his lungs. He slammed his face into the desk three times, ejecting the disc and watching it clatter against the desk. He stood with such force that his chair fell backwards, and the priest furiously searched his pockets for his rosary. His thumb and index fingers pinched the first bead, and he recited the Lord’s prayer under his breath.
After five Hail Mary’s and another Our Father, Pucci closed his eyes and let out a sharp breath. Everything he had worked for, everything Dio envisioned, how could they be so close to victory yet feel so hopelessly far away? After everything Pucci did to obtain Jotaro’s memory of Dio’s diary, how couldn’t it be finished? Dio was killed during his Heaven research… The diary was incomplete. If Pucci performed the ritual as it was theorized in the hazy diary, it might create something other than Heaven. That wasn’t acceptable… There had to be another way.
There simply had to be.
Inmate #FE38432 woke to the sudden shock of her cell door swinging open first thing in the morning. She rubbed her eyes in a dazed confusion, peeping past her bars and seeing that every cell appeared to open like this. That was definitely better than an alarm clock, but something told her she wouldn’t be able to adjust the timing.
The girl felt like shit… Her throat was rough like sandpaper, and every time she swallowed it felt like little knives were dragging their way down the hatch. Her head throbbed, and her shirt clung to her back with yesterday’s sweat… As she recalled the previous night, Inmate #FE38432 felt a bit of abstract dread… She’d had some awful nightmares all night, but couldn’t remember the details.
Inmate #FE38432 sighed, rolling out of bed and putting on a change of clothes. The inmate left her cell, wandering through the foreign concrete city of twists and turns in search of the cafeteria.
Eventually, she made it. Inmate #FE38432 received a tray full of sludge and a carton of milk, her favorite… She trudged over to a random table and sat at the very edge. There wasn’t a vacant table in the entire cafeteria at this early hour, and she was too hungry to wait for privacy. Nobody was within three spots of her on the bench, so she ate in relative peace.
Probably the most surprising thing about prison so far was how normal everybody seemed… Green Dolphin didn’t have a very strict uniform system, so the inmates looked like regular everyday folks hanging around a cafeteria. They just weren’t allowed to leave. It was much like high school, to which Inmate #FE38432 was still quite accustomed. Clothing aside, her fellow inmates just seemed like regular people. They weren’t hulking brutes or twisted drug addicts… Most of them were women around her shape and size, and very few of them appeared ready for a prison yard shanking.
She wondered if she’d been all wrong about the type of person who ended up incarcerated, but something tugged at the back of her mind… She didn’t appear to be a violent criminal at first glance either, yet that was certainly the case. Maybe these people were just good at hiding their true colors…? They were serving their time and acting on their best behavior, right? Good behavior could lead to a reduced sentencing, so everybody had an incentive to play nice. She scowled a bit.
It’s always the same…
People only did good things when there was some kind of tangible reward, a carrot on a stick dangling in front of their stupid faces to keep them running on the treadmill of civility for another fleeting moment. Inmate #FE38432 knew this better than anybody. She knew what men were capable of in their primal state; what they would do in a world without consequences… That hunger, that insatiable hunger most “good men” kept at bay for the majority of their lives… It consumed everyone eventually.
While Inmate #FE38432 was busy resenting mankind, another inmate began acting rather peculiarly. A girl with a lip ring and blonde bangs reached right across the table and swiped an apple from another woman’s tray without a care in the world. She dug her teeth into the delectable fruit, sending juice across the table and even landing a drop or two in the other woman’s eye. She didn’t seem to care at all, as she was far too busy enjoying the most delicious apple she’d ever had the pleasure of biting into! The girl with blonde bangs scarfed her stolen apple down in seconds, then lifted her head to see a much larger woman towering over her.
“What the fuck’s your problem, Jess?” The woman growled.
Jess looked at the apple core with big, innocent eyes. She had specks of fruit scattered all over her face, and her pale cheeks slowly flushed crimson as she fumbled for an explanation.
“I-I dunno…” She answered honestly. “Your apple just looked so good, and I…” Jess trailed off. She knew her excuse wouldn’t resonate with the hulking woman before her.
“Just because something looks good doesn’t mean it’s yours, dipshit!” Clair reached across the table and grabbed Jess by the collar. “Don’t you ever think before you fuck up?”
Inmate #FE38432 was stunned by the events as they unfolded before her. This was precisely what she was thinking about moments before! Jess was so absorbed by her hunger that she disregarded the consequences of stealing Clair’s apple! It was a textbook example of her philosophy… So why did she feel so unsettled?
“EWWWWWWWW, Hilary, are you rubbing one out at the table!?” Another inmate shrieked in disgust.
Inmate #FE38432’s attention shot to the other side of the table just in time to see multiple women stumbling away from a small, wiry inmate in disgust. When Inmate #FE38432 looked closely, she could see the woman rubbing her crotch through her pants! Her eyes were rolling back into her skull, and she didn’t seem to have a care in the world! Inmate #FE38432’s heart pounded as she stood from the table and stepped back herself. Everyone was acting crazy…
“Gimme those, you skank!” Inmate #FE38432 heard another woman growl, swiping a pack of cigarettes from her friend at the next table over.
The room was only getting rowdier, and Inmate #FE38432 had no interest in being a part of some brawl on her first day. She fled the cafeteria, neglecting the rest of her food for the time being. She’d lost her appetite anyway… As the young blonde made her way down the hall, she couldn’t shake the feeling that those inmates’ behaviors had something to do with her… That was insane, right? She didn’t have any more influence over others behavior than anyone else!
“Are you sure about that~?” A playful voice startled her back to reality.
Inmate #FE38432 stared in dumbstruck awe at the being before her… It wasn’t a human, it couldn’t be! Sure, costumes could pull off some impressive feats, but the inmate could see through this thing! She rubbed her eyes a few times to see if they were playing tricks on her…. They were not.
(Art and design by MiyaArte on Twitter)
The being looked to be humanoid in nature, but its features couldn’t be further from the norm. Its padded shoulders donned short red spikes poking every which way. Its arms seemed layered, almost like a machine with little bits underlying all throughout. It at least seemed to be wearing clothes, though they were definitely out there. Its jeans had big holes in each knee, revealing huge smiley-face patches peeking through and glaring at Inmate #FE38432. The being had an old Sony Discman strapped to its hip, and the cord coiled along its torso before feeding into a big pair of headphones atop its smooth dome of a head. Its chest seemed flat as a pancake, but its tank top had the word “RIOT!” written in a dozen different fonts and handwritings across its pale surface.
Inmate #FE38432 probably stared for a little too long, because the being decided to speak without receiving an answer.
“You really think those oafs were acting that way by sheer coincidence? Gimme a break, Lucy! You’re better than that!” It teased, the being’s voice seemingly very reminiscent of Inmate #FE38432, but if the girl were older and confident.
“It’s… It’s Inmate #FE38432.” The blonde bit her lip.
“Oh, get real! None of the others go by their number around here! What’s wrong with Lucy Pendleton? It’s a nice name!” The being shrugged.
“Lucy Pendleton died at that party.” Inmate #FE38432 clenched her jaw. “And why am I explaining myself to you!? Who the hell even are you!?”
The being kicked off the stairs and strutted over to Inmate #FE38432 with a playful hum. It lifted the girl’s chin with its index finger and inspected her face. “Goodness, have we completely dropped our skincare routine, then?”
Something about that caused recognition to spark in the inmate’s eye. Her lip trembled, but she found the courage to say it.
“We…? Y-You’re… You’re me, aren’t you?” She asked, though she felt like she was moments away from being admitted to the psych ward.
“In a sense, yes! I’m part of you, Lucy! We’ve met before… Don’t you remember?”
The girl thought about it for a moment. That voice… It was familiar… “I don’t… Can you jog my memory?”
“I was there that night, Lucy… That’s the night I was born. And I held your hand while you took your revenge…” The being explained.
“But! I don’t understand… Why are you only showing up now?” Inmate #FE38432 frowned.
“Back then, I was merely a part of you. Now, I’ve been given a voice! If I had to guess, it was that fuckin’ weirdo with the ‘Z’ on her chrome dome who did this to us.”
“Zed…?” Inmate #FE38432 considered it. “When she pricked my hand… She made it sound like she was giving me something. That’s you?”
“That’s me!” The Stand hummed. “She said if we were alive in the morning, we should track her down! I don’t know about you, but I’m dying to get some answers.”
Inmate #FE38432 stared down the hall with a new sense of urgency. She felt like she should be freaking out, but her body felt almost irrationally calm. This creature, whatever it was, it was a part of her… It had her voice, her memories, her attitude… It even knew about that night. If it was born on that night of all nights, she’d believe it… Lucy Pendleton died that night… Only Inmate #FE38432 remained.
“Then let’s go get some.” She scowled.
Years prior in the summer of 2009, a little girl by the name of Ludovicia scampered down the streets of her hometown, Rome. She was a tiny dear with chubby red cheeks, curly black locks, and a doll clasped between her dirtied hands. Ludovicia was always running around and getting herself into trouble. She’d fall and scrape herself up so often that around eighty-percent of her surface area consisted of bandaids and kisses from her mother. Still, that never stopped her from zooming out the front door and seeing what adventurers the city had for her that day!
Ludovicia felt the sun catch her eyes from the side, and she turned to witness a beautiful sunset spreading across the canal like a blanket of sparkling dreams. She couldn’t help but stare, leaning against the bars and resting her cheek on the railing of the walkway. Her rosy cheek was smushed inward as she basked in the beauty of nature…
“Wow…” She gasped.
After she spent a minute or two staring at the sunkissed canal, Ludovicia was about ready to continue her romp. Just as she was about to hop off the railing, she noticed something bubbling in the water. She tilted her head curiously. Could it be a fish? Maybe it would jump up and splash her! Ludovicia leaned as far down as she could with her hand held toward the water.
“Fishy~!” She beckoned her slimy friend. “Hop up! C’mon, it’s okay!”
The water continued to bubble, and soon it spread around a three-foot radius. The bubbles grew larger and faster as if something were brewing just beneath the surface. It almost looked like a pot of boiling water, but just in one little spot in the canal! Ludovicia’s instincts always finished second to her curiosity, and this time was no different. She kept still as she could and waited for something to happen.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH~!!!!” A hellish, ear-piercing shriek came from the water. It was the kind of scream you’d hear from an otherworldly creature in a horror movie, not a man. The bubbling reached a breaking point and was followed by a hand… A bloody, melting hand! As the soggy limb pierced the open air for the first time in almost a decade, the wear and tear became rather obvious! Flesh and tissue began to fall from the bone in thick, bloody clumps. It was like holding a tissue under running water, but about ten times redder. Soon, nothing remained on the hand but bone…
Ludovicia was horrified, but she couldn’t look away! Was someone drowning!? They needed help!
“H-Hello!? Somebody? Anybody! Someone’s in the water!” She shrieked.
The bony hand smacked its palm against the water, somehow using the surface as leverage to hoist itself up higher. Ludovicia watched in disgust as the person’s skin and muscle continued to slump free from the skeleton-like a red sludge. The person seemed to have long, pink hair, but it melted away just as quickly as the rest. The skeleton reached up for Ludovicia desperately, its teeth gnashing into powder as it dislocated its shoulder to reach her… No dice, the girl was just too far away!
By this point, the girl was screaming. She’d never seen something so scary, even in horror movies! The creature was trying to grab her! She shrieked, shaking her head and holding a hand over her mouth. Why wasn’t anybody coming to help her!? Joggers and cars passed right by like nothing was wrong!
The skeleton’s mouth swung open and closed like a puppet, and Ludovicia could tell it was trying to say something. She couldn’t make it out without seeing its long-gone lips, but it almost looked like it was trying to reason with her? Did this creature need her help…? She sniffled, wiping her eyes and leaning a little closer.
“A-Are you… a nice skeleton?” She asked softly.
Somehow, even without lips, the creature smiled. Its teeth and bones contorted just right to imitate the sensation of human joy, and then it reached up and grabbed the girl by the shirt. She yelped to no avail, and was promptly dragged below the surface. That same bubbling from before continued for quite some time… Then, everything went black.
An unknown time later, the little girl’s body was seen drifting face-down in the canal. Multiple passerbys noticed her this time, and a small party of terrified adults dragged her soaking form from the water. They flipped her over and checked for a pulse. Just as they began to perform CPR, her eye shot open. It was so sudden that a woman actually shrieked. She blushed shortly after, feeling a little silly for being startled by the eyes of a little girl.
“Oh my goodness…” The man who dragged Ludovicia from the water wiped a few tears from his eyes. “Thank the Lord you’re okay, my dear! When we saw you floating in the canal like that, we…” He trailed off. “Were you just playing a game? You gave us all quite the scare!”
Ludovicia lifted her hand up and inspected it carefully. She seemed surprised by just how stubby and tiny it was. After analyzing both of her hands, her piercing green eyes met the man’s. They were… unhuman. The girl’s eyes were big and neon green with a small yellow triangle piercing the solid irises at a forty-five degree angle from the bottom left. Her eyes were enough to stop the man in his tracks, and suddenly, the entire rescue party drew to an uncomfortable silence.
“You know… My mother never got to hold me… Not even the once.” The little girl mumbled as she stared at her own hands. “An entire life without the touch of a mother… It’s enough to drive anyone insane. But my mother’s dead, and I’ll never get to be held by her. Doesn’t that make you want to cry?” She tilted her head unnaturally and stared into the man’s very soul.
“I… Uhm…” He rubbed the back of his head nervously.
“Don’t answer that…” The entire world crumbled to pieces around Ludovicia. The grass and trees broke into geometric chunks that floated in a state of unreality as she rose to her feet. The concerned citizens continued along their predestined tracks as if Ludovicia never spoke a word. She stood up, passing right through the old man like a ghost and walking through the entire group without a single hiccup. When she made it through the small crowd, the chunks of landscape returned to their rightful positions, and time went on as it always had.
But the little girl was gone…
