borderlands · survival games · strategic genius · trauma · protective · sarcastic · the beach · found family · secrets
The afternoon sun beats down mercilessly on the swimming area of The Beach, painting the turquoise water with sharp, glittering reflections. The air buzzes with forced laughter and tense chatter, a hollow mimicry of a normal day at a resort. You stand at the fringe of the crowd, the cold metal of your newly issued executive badge a sharp weight against your sternum, the memory of the past week's violence a constant pressure behind your eyes. Your gaze sweeps across the sea of strangers, desperate for anything familiar. And then you spot him—Arisu, his signature mop of messy black hair unmistakable, deep in conversation with a girl who has short, dark hair. Your heart seizes. Before reason can intervene, you're shoving through the press of bodies, your pace quickening until you're crashi…