110 comments

Thriller Fantasy Speculative

The totems coruscate with the tints of amethyst, ruby, canary and emerald and a lot more that the spectrum of colours can expand to. Every colour is ablaze with emotions and tells the stories of not happy families and evergreen love stories, but tales of traumatic memories and catastrophic plot twists that are discarded and wished to wash away with the azure tides of the sea that recede and fade away, never to splash its feet on withering rocks and giggling children. 


Fauna hands a claret totem over to a customer that wishes his charcoal memories bombarded with iridescent ones instead. He’s dealt with deaths of too many loved ones; they’ve tainted his sanity ebony. Darkness and atrocities are what all scarper from. 


“Jackass!” Fauna hollers at a customer who lunges over the counter hoping to get hands on a totem that doesn’t have his mark on it, “you, especially, will never get yours. Now back off.” 


In a world where crime runs unrestrained and cops take thirty-six hours to get to the scene, sometimes forgetful of a pending interrogation, only a handful scurry toward the good, and there are a majority who shred down the morality built and structured for centuries on an end. 


Gladys, the workplace manager, approaches Fauna’s desk in haste, her heels click on the marbled floor, like teeth that clatter in the piercing cold. “Dear, my son’s fallen sick, and I’ve to tend to him. I’m sorry for leaving you here on your first day.” Fauna nods and smiles like vibrant daisies that withstand the harsh weather. What could happen? Another outburst from desperate customers? It isn’t rare, and she knows how to fend them off. 


“It’s nothing. Take your time.” With a squeeze of her hand, Gladys exits and she reclines on her chair, taking regular sips from her Boba tea. 


Outside, pale shaved ice clothes the signboard that reads Totems of Fresh Memories like white fairy beings. Snow obscures the roof as if on a mission to make it look winter wonderland chic. In the array of frozen blooms, the air kisses the lungs so cool. In a moment, the world becomes a snow globe; one of the Christmas ornaments children love to shake and watch the snowflakes swirl in unseen currents. Fauna watches the crisp blizzard from her desk as the whitewashed landscape falls into companionable placidity. 


She doesn’t leave the building, for she’s stuck in the deranged blizzard; she could’ve left with Gladys, but the files can’t write and sign themselves. The files contain the documents of customers that ask for fresh memories and the totem they depart with. They are copious with the same type of memory they wish to shut out, but keep surging to taunt them for their misery — childhood trauma and abuse. The horrors that live in them watch them ignite in a pyre and incinerate until the dun ashes waft away along with the wind. 


In the moments of boredom, Fauna is an ancient ship upon the vermilion sea, sails blithely, relaxed upon the mast. Now that she’s organized every file before time, her hands are vacant; she could try to move out of the building and rush to her house, but something else captures her mind and in fact, she’ll be alone even if she heads back home. She eyes the door that leads to a staircase coiling upstairs. It’s a floor that allows only the hard-hearted staff members from exploring. They say if anybody other than the designated members sneak up, there’s always a sense of distress that infiltrates them, but she knows what lives on it — the repudiated memories. 


She’d taken up this job for her only hope: to find what happened to her lamented husband. Everybody had asked her why she took on this profession.


“I want to help people bury their horrifying memories and sow seeds of a new life.” She’d said, but flinched inwardly because none of it laced with veracity and she felt regression pin down on her. She felt selfish. The past, unfortunately, was immutable. 


Upon days of contemplation, she surrendered on wanting to avenge Lorcan’s death; they’d said his death resulted from a sudden heart attack, but what Fauna had concealed with such certainty was that she’d caught an excruciating wound that painted a plum galaxy on the canvas of his abdomen the day he counted his last heartbeat in the hospital. It petrified her of what other terrors his body had to exhibit. In gloaming, she found brightness; an inky wall on which a hole marred it. A tiny hole that was a pinprick of hope. Fauna would have to shatter the wall with the axe that was her belief and reach out to hope that twinkled with a flickering intensity.




🚪




Fauna winds up the staircase, cognizant of the unsure, but oblivious of what was about to happen. Ahead of her, an enormous hall rolls out, waning out into the tenebrosity; doors of various sizes and colours hang midway in the air, suspended by nothing but sheer force of invisible strings of air. A prominent feature of the hall: the doors glide up and down, left to right, like fantastical elevators. Fauna stops in front of an albino door, strangely covered in a dirty-grey streak.


there’s always

a wild tale

behind 

an innocent face. 


The words, in cursive, line across the door.  


The flash emitting from it almost blinds her as she takes a tentative step into it.


The flash evaporates, and she finds herself in a room. A chuckle resounds behind her and she snaps her head toward the source, but it’s dark. A shriek escapes her lips when a little boy walks past her, unacknowledged of her presence. She extends her hand out toward him, but it stabs right through his lean body. He can’t see or sense her. Fauna follows the boy when a man appears into thin air and strikes him in the face. The boy collapses on the ground and the man vanishes, a woman emerging out of nowhere. She rushes to the boy and wraps him in a warm swaddle of her chest and arms. The warmth that swims around him, vanquishes the agony of five years. If only he could stay in her arms forever. That way the beast would never dare lay hands on the adolescent.


The puncturing flash reinstates, and when it diminishes, Fauna’s back in the hall. She nictates her eyes and adjusts to whatever happened just a few seconds ago. The other doors tempt her so much, she enters almost every in sight, and comes back learning about every battered memory people have left behind. Every colour has an emotion in it, but it’s a twisted story to tell.





🚪





they both loved 

each other, but

it was never

that simple. 


The burgundy door narrates the story of a destroyed adoration. The intimacy between two men, shamed upon and endangered by the uncanny eyes of the society.





🚪





everybody

has their demons 

and he wants 

to run away

from his. 


Fauna steps into a midnight door, and everything is dark. But with adequate light from an unknown source, she sees something that knocks the breath out of her: in front of her, is her Lorcan lifeless on the ground while a man hovers over him, a crimson knife in hand. 


“I… I can’t keep up with this anymore. You guys know what sin you’re committing, don’t you?”


“Your opinion isn’t required here, Brother. Be loyal to the cult or behead yourself. Will you do it? Kill yourself like those who lose faith in the cult?” 


“That’s not the point. What if the other professors get to know we’ve killed Lorcan? Can’t afford that, can you?”


“Remain a Brother or take the steps, Conláed.” 


“How about neither…”


Conláed, guilty of his past, wishes to forget his memories. Not only victims of brutality, but even sinners, repulse at the thought of affliction. Lorcan, one professor, had witnessed a sacrifice within the school premises and when he objected, Conláed’s Elder demanded his life. Fauna bolts out of the door and crumples to the ground, her lips quaver and eyes water.


Fauna sprints downstairs and shuffles through the crumbling files, flipping through pages to look for the guy. A spark of relief catches in her eyes when Conláed tops a list of names. His address, his phone number, everything is mentioned beside the name. 


Once again, Fauna can avenge her husband. And when she finds a pleasant rhythm and realises what to do and how; when a pathway emerges to the goals of her heart, she feels relieved. 

January 19, 2021 18:15

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110 comments

Rayhan Hidayat
16:27 Jan 20, 2021

I see what you did here—packing it full of vibrant, ethereal imagery, which is a style that can be really awesome when you polish it. I’ll be honest with you, I had no idea what was going on half the time. This line for example: “Fauna winds up the staircase, cognizant of the unsure, but heedless of the ensuing.” It just sounds like a bunch of words stitched together from Thesaurus.com. Not berating you for nothing, though: I know you can do better, because I’ve seen it 😉 The name Fauna means “animal” in Latin. Interesting pick. And the...

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Orenda .
17:08 Jan 20, 2021

Rayy, you caught me. I knew that sentence was just trying to show how good my vocabulary is lol. But just that. No meaning conveyed whatsoever. Thanks so much, mister 😚 also, if it's not too much to ask, I'd love your feedback on the previous entry as well :-)

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Rayhan Hidayat
17:31 Jan 20, 2021

Having a good vocab is handy, but not necessary. One of my favorite authors, Brandon Sanderson, has a very simple, easy-to-digest writing style. He rarely uses big words. Some of his lines are as simple as “she felt nervous as she walked up the stairs.” And yet everyone still loves his books becaus he excels in the areas that do matter: plot, characters, etc. The goodreads ratings don’t lie 😉 Ah shoot, I missed a story didn’t I? Aight gotta get to it then

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Orenda .
17:38 Jan 20, 2021

😌 I know, he ain't good for nothing. I just overwork myself and my writing, so gotta be easy peasy lemon squeezy. yes, seems like it. Have you read children of blood and bone by tomi adeyami? I finished reading the sequel to it today literally after ages and the second cliffhanger does no justice 😭 but there's this character and he's wrecked my heart XD. I've a thing for second lead characters which is so sad.

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Rayhan Hidayat
17:54 Jan 20, 2021

I looked it up, that actually looks really good. Might pick it up when I'm done with the massive book i told you about :P

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Orenda .
18:09 Jan 20, 2021

good luck with that beast! The longest book I've ever read is over 500 pages lol. I'm a casual reader, haha but I wouldn't mind reading something longer if the plot's interesting AND especially if it's fantasy.

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Rayhan Hidayat
17:54 Jan 20, 2021

I looked it up, that actually looks really good. Might pick it up when I'm done with the massive book i told you about :P

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Orenda .
18:18 Jan 19, 2021

ahh, I don't know what to make of this. I don't particularly hate it, I enjoyed writing it, in fact, but mixed feelings involved… relish it! Haha.

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Orenda...you know what? If you wanna leave, you can, and I totally respect your decision. I am so sorry that Reedsy has become a place of hate for you, and that you cannot stand a moment being here anymore...and I really am sorry that you had to resort to a situation like this. But all I can say is that I hope you benefit from your decision. I won't go and try to change your mind about anything, but before you leave, I just want to say that we have spent some great times together. During my Reedsy journey, you were one of the people who have...

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Orenda .
19:16 Jan 21, 2021

thank you, Haripriya. Like I said, I may come back when everything gets back to normal and I'll miss you guys so much. Thank you for everything :)

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Of course, Ori, I'll miss you too. 😭🥺

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Orenda .
19:21 Jan 21, 2021

😭😞

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Wow Ori, you are on a roll in writing awesome stories! Though French is not my cup of tea (though I would love to know how to speak French...I only things like 'Bonjour!' 'Au Revoir!'—which, by the way, literally everyone knows...🙄), I think that this story/poem has a very good chance of winning! Loving the fact that you added poetry in your work. I think adding poetry in anything makes everything better for some reason. Glad you wrote them though, they were honestly so beautiful and nice to read Ori. Great job with this, and I'm glad you ...

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Orenda .
01:57 Jan 20, 2021

thank you so much! Appreciate your thoughts :-)

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Your welcome!!

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Zilla Babbitt
18:03 Jan 22, 2021

Oh Orenda! We'll miss you so much. Please ignore it all and focus on writing. ❤⭐

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Orenda .
18:06 Jan 22, 2021

I'll miss you guys too :/ I might come back earlier than expected. That's how indecisive I am, but thank you for everything 😚

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Zilla Babbitt
18:17 Jan 22, 2021

I'm indecisive too XD. Reading all the comments about upvoting and the Marshmallows... well, let's just say I understand your decision. To a certain extent we just need to ignore all that, have a reasonable circle of friends who'll critique each story of yours, and just focus on writing.

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Orenda .
18:20 Jan 22, 2021

very true.

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Zilla Babbitt
18:24 Jan 22, 2021

I'd love to!

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Orenda .
19:00 Jan 22, 2021

:)

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Scout Tahoe
04:29 Jan 22, 2021

Yes... the French title. I speak a little. And to think we could've been closer... I'm sorry you're leaving, but I respect your decision. I've read a handful of yours stories and I'm very glad you didn't delete them because as you said, "hours of hard work," and it definitely paid off. Goodbye, mate. Reedsy loves you.

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Orenda .
05:31 Jan 22, 2021

I think we could've been closer too haha. When I come back, we're definitely becoming reedsy friends, that's for sure. nonetheless, I'll miss you guys :-)

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Scout Tahoe
14:20 Jan 22, 2021

:) Good to hear. We'll miss you too. Sometimes I wish I could be so cool and chill like you, haha.

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Masha Kurbatova
01:58 Jan 20, 2021

very dense and vivid descriptions! good job!

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Orenda .
01:59 Jan 20, 2021

aw, thank you, Masha :-)

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Ru .
19:47 Jan 19, 2021

The first thing I caught as a French speaker, was the title. Very hopeful ;) I love the overarching colour theme. I can see myself writing about topics like these and this makes me excited to, which proves you did a good job manifesting the idea. The little hints of poetry speckled throughout is lovely. Did you write them? I especially like the wild tale bit. One thing, near the beginning, it says "stains his sanity ivory". Ivory is white so is it being stained clean? If it's staining his clean sanity and making it dark, you could either s...

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Orenda .
20:06 Jan 19, 2021

you speak French, too??? aha, my dumbass. Feck, I meant ebony. Thanks for the major catch or I'd be making a fool out of myself, not that I havent already XD and yeah, a lil inspiration but I wrote them :-) thanks a lot, Ruu 😚

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Sia S
04:59 Jul 02, 2021

Your pfp is too cute and is a hazard.

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Orenda .
05:07 Jul 02, 2021

like you?

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Sia S
05:12 Jul 02, 2021

sis- girl- That is such a good compliment I can't even- I- don't deserve that You- No seriously, thank so fdyg8dvyubiyxh much.

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Orenda .
05:15 Jul 02, 2021

I was just messing with you 🤷‍♀️

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Sia S
05:20 Jul 02, 2021

Oop-

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Orenda .
05:21 Jul 02, 2021

and I'm still messing....

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Sia S
14:19 Jun 29, 2021

Boss b totally you

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Orenda .
18:02 Jun 29, 2021

😌

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Sia S
00:59 Jun 30, 2021

;)

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13:54 Jun 07, 2021

orenda-dot! i've gotta say, i'm glad you're back.

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Orenda .
14:44 Jun 07, 2021

thank youu! but just call me Orenda hihi. That was just me trying to be funny (ended up lame, though).

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18:12 Jun 07, 2021

lame? never! the resident reedsy duchess could never be lame. it's simply impossible :)

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Orenda .
04:48 Jun 08, 2021

oh my my, that is flattering xD. thank you!

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18:34 Jan 23, 2021

Bye, Orenda. I know we weren't very close Reedsy friends, but I'll still be sad to see you go. I'm sorry that all of the drama on Reedsy has forced you to do this. I hope that these kinds of things don't trouble your head anymore. -Brooke D.

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Zilla Babbitt
15:08 Jan 23, 2021

"his mark on it, “you,..." --> "his mark on it. "You,..." "In a world where crime runs unrestrained and cops take thirty-six hours to get to the scene, sometimes forgetful of a pending interrogation, only a handful scurry toward the good, and there are a majority who shred down the morality built and structured for centuries on an end." --> "In a world where crime runs unrestrained and cops take thirty-six hours to get to the scene, forgetful of a pending interrogation [pending report?], and there is a majority that shred the morality built...

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Radhika Diksha
03:26 Jan 23, 2021

Orenda please don't leave me. You are my master. How will the student survive in absence of your presence? 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 Dont goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.............. I cant let you go. COme back. You have improved me so much, you taught me so much. How will I reciprocate that. I am literally crying. Please don't go.

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17:41 Jan 21, 2021

Hi ori, this is cel's second account. im here to wish you farewell ill probly never see you again but ill always remember you in my heart stay safe ill miss you bye -cel

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Orenda .
17:48 Jan 21, 2021

aw. Cel, I'll check up on you, okay? I might come back like how it always is, but not now. Love you <3

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17:53 Jan 21, 2021

*Snifffff* okie, but ill still miss youuuuu D: i really dont want you to leaveeeee but its for te best, right? best of luck to you, stay safe and have a great life, ori. Your wonderful :D

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Orenda .
17:56 Jan 21, 2021

thank you. cellie. I have a dumb question, but any idea on how to remove my profile picture, so it's just an initial of my name and not my email address's picture? It's gonna be scary if it's my email's picture, eeks.

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17:58 Jan 21, 2021

:D: Hmm, search it up? here:https://www.google.com/search?q=o+profile+pic&rlz=1CAPCCZ_enUS936&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=8UQJbH9XGoec-M%252CqdEGW7bf86_r-M%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kT9WWI1Cg6bOjGaHRz4WF-Wp5REvA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiql9_vzK3uAhXCPn0KHdIpDAwQ9QF6BAgKEAE&biw=1517&bih=702&safe=active&ssui=on#imgrc=T4Y65DKxf-U5NM geez that long

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Orenda .
18:06 Jan 21, 2021

gosh, is that how it works? My dumbass had no idea. Thanks, Cellie. Ye, new name ;)

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XANDER DMER
14:01 Jan 21, 2021

Cool Story! Guys Check Me Out - https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/author/xander-dmer/

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Amany Sayed
21:52 Jan 20, 2021

Hey Ren! I was wondering if you could give me some horror writing tips?

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Orenda .
03:20 Jan 21, 2021

hi, glad you asked lol. Here I go.... 1. tap into common fears and what theme your story should convey. --> it might be fear of unknown, monsters or supernatural entities or just societal tensions that talk about real world problems in a twisted way (example: Get Out). 2. select a suitable pov. --> you need your readers need to get into the shoes of the character and experience whatever that happens. First person or third person *limited*. Along with the reader, the narrator has to be clueless. Don't use omniscient because the will just ...

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Amany Sayed
03:29 Jan 21, 2021

Definitely super helpful! Wait, to clarify, short sentences AND very specific? I'm like super new to this genra, I rarely read it much less write.

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Orenda .
03:45 Jan 21, 2021

yay! Oh so like, don't keep normal length sentences (if that makes sense) when you have short sentences, tension rises automatically. And describe the details specifically. Like when you'd describe a dead man. Eg: The fence impaled Amany's stomach and from the stain on her shirt, she'd been dead for a long time. Maggots lurched around in the rotten wounds... that doesn't make sense, but maybe this clears up confusion a little.

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Amany Sayed
03:51 Jan 21, 2021

oh ok got it! Nearly spit my water when you used my name lol. Alrighty, I'll try my best, wish me luck!

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Orenda .
03:58 Jan 21, 2021

oh XD. Best of luckk :-)

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14:05 Jan 21, 2021

Lol

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Amany Sayed
02:05 Jan 20, 2021

I'm...confused. But it was really good writing! And a chilling ending. I'm afraid that's all I can say.

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Orenda .
02:19 Jan 20, 2021

ooh. Oh really? I've done my job then 😂 thanks a lot and I'll get to your story real soon.

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Amany Sayed
02:21 Jan 20, 2021

yes lol take your time! not my best lol

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Orenda .
02:33 Jan 20, 2021

no problem. I'll critique the shit out of it, xD.

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Amany Sayed
02:35 Jan 20, 2021

oh god, now i'm scared lol

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Orenda .
02:37 Jan 20, 2021

did you know people call me scary all the times? Lol it isn't new to see you scared...

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The Cold Ice
03:01 Feb 14, 2021

Hi

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Amaya .
22:03 Feb 13, 2021

YOU CAME BACK AND DIDN'T DROP ME A COMMENT?!? well anyway check the doc i miss you sm

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Orenda .
05:24 Feb 14, 2021

hey, sorry, I wasn't going to come here but Vayd was here, so I came online. How're you? Yes, I'll do.

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