Belle followed her familiar route home on her pale blue bicycle after another day of working at Eufloria. On her back, her backpack, also pale blue in color, contained some books she’d picked up during her regular after-work stop off at Pleasure Bound. She was running out of room to contain her large and ever-growing collection of books but she could never resist a new novel to lose herself in. Almost every day was the same for Belle Deschaine. She didn’t like change and relished in the mundane day-to-day routine she had developed for herself. She woke up, went to work, stopped by the used book store, and went home. She had her license but chose to ride her bike everywhere. When she had a day off, she usually went by What The Flock and walked some of the rescue dogs, played with the cats or whatever other animals they may have, or arranged to hang out with a friend for lunch or dinner. She was predictable and she never minded that she was and she knew her family preferred it that way.

Turning into her street, Belle smiled as the warm summer sun beat down on her skin. She loved it when the weather warmed up like this. Winter, though it didn’t get too cold in Limbo, was never for her. She was a summer girl, through and through. Her dream day would be a picnic in the sun, where she could lay and read books while the sun shone on her skin, giving her a golden summer tan that she would naively hope would last all year round. That was exactly what she planned to do with the rest of the afternoon. She parked her bike out the front of her family home and walked inside, taking her backpack up to her room after she called out to see if anyone was home but was met by silence. She rushed up the stairs, dumping the contents of her backpack on the bed before she grabbed her newest book additions. She picked one of them out, the one she was most excited to read, and placed the rest of them on her bookshelf that was overcrowded with books. She quickly switched out of the clothes she’d been in all day for work and changed into her regular attire - a sweet dress and a pair of Toms, and headed back down the stairs.

She was halfway down the stairs when it happened. It was like someone punched her directly in her chest and all the air was sucked from her lungs, making it impossible for her to breathe. She gripped at the railing before slowly lowering herself down, one hand gripping at her chest while the other clung to the railing beside her. Breathe, Belle. She tried to take a deep breath but it hurt. It caused a pain in her chest and tears welled. Breathe Belle. She wheezed as she tried her hardest to catch her breath. She hated to admit this wasn’t the first time this had happened lately. This...feeling. She knew what it was but she wouldn’t admit it: not to herself and certainly not to anyone else. She started to get dizzy now and rested against the railing. Breathe, Belle. Finally, she managed to get air to fill her lungs and her heartbeat was rapid, though the beating fell odd. Too fast then too slow. Her hands were shaking and the tears that welled in her eyes now started to drip down her cheeks. She still struggled to breathe but it was easier now albeit only by a little bit.

Looking down at her feet and using all the energy she had to kick her Toms off, Belle felt more tears well when she notices her feet were slightly swollen - another sign she wished she could just ignore. She’d been more tired than usual lately, she’d had a wheeze and a cough. And whenever she rode her bike...this tended to happen. This...attack, she tended to call it. She didn’t know what to do but she knew she couldn’t tell her family, she couldn’t tell anyone. They already saw her as weak and if they knew this? God, they’d never let her have any independence again. She’d always been the sick one. Her family had always felt the need to protect her, to look after her, to watch her like a hawk and she hated it. She wanted to be free, to be independent and now, she finally had that but this...this threatened to take it all away. How could she tell her family she thought her heart, her heart she’d worked so hard to keep as healthy as she could after her mother’s incessant drug use during pregnancy, was finally failing her?

FULL NAME: Rebelle Harleigh Deschaine NICKNAMES: Belle DATE OF BIRTH: August 18, 2000 (19) ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Leo OCCUPATION: Works at Eufloria MARITAL STATUS: Single POSITIVE CHARACTER TRAITS: Selfless, empathetic, forgiving NEGATIVE CHARACTER TRAITS: Dependent, anxious, opinionated PLAYBY: Maia Mitchell

Limbo. What an odd name for a town. Ellie had always thought that. She looked around the main street, her eyes squinting against the bright Nevada sun. It had been a long time since she had stepped foot on these streets but everything seemed the same and even after all her time away, Limbo still felt like home. She was immediately comforted by the familiarity and it shocked her, though it shouldn’t have. The entire time she was gone, she pined for Limbo. It had always felt like an invisible force was trying to pull her home and now, here she was.

She was unsure of how people would feel about her sudden reappearance in town. She was sure they hadn’t missed her. The other Kessler sister. The addict. The fuck up. That was her. Maybe she could get a shirt that read: Ellie Kessler - the fuck up. I’m back.

One thing she knew was that nobody would believe she had changed and well, could she blame them? Had she really changed? Yes and no. The answer, like everything in Ellie’s life, was complex.

The raven-haired woman had finally gained the courage to leave the relationship she’d found herself trapped in. It wasn’t easy, nor was it her first attempt to flee but she did it. And here she was in a small town where she was hoping to start fresh.

The vicious cycle had started years ago when she moved away from Limbo. Her life went downhill after that. It had seemed like a great idea at first. She would go with her mom, get away from her father and those she considered toxic - little did she know at the time that she was the toxic one. She was troubled. She was the one ruining the lives of those around her. Yet, she placed all the blame on them and her mind was made up: she was leaving. She was done with this life and she left.

She was scared now that maybe the tables had turned and that the people she was running back to would be done with her now. Could she blame them? No. She’d left and never bothered to make contact again. All she knew was that she needed out of Limbo. She needed to getaway. She couldn’t rely on or trust anyone here. She only had one friend. There was only one who she could trust and rely on. And that one was heroin.

Heroin was Ellie’s vice. A bad party habit that had slowly crept into a full-blown addiction. It hadn’t happened overnight but before Ellie knew it, she couldn’t go a day without filling her body with the toxic drug. She had inhaled the drug through her nostrils at first. She wasn’t an addict if she did that, right? But eventually, she progressed to injecting the substance straight into her veins, but she refused to believe she was an addict, no matter how many times people told her differently.

It had only been when she was tried to get clean to prove her everybody wrong that she realized they were right. She was an addict. She was addicted to heroin and saw no way out. She lasted only a day on her first attempt and gradually increased that each time she tried to quit but it never lasted more than a week before injecting again, sighing heavily in relief when the familiar feeling intoxicated her body.

He never helped. Zed encouraged her habit. Whenever she tried to quit, he’d convince her she needed more. He’d tell her she was nothing without heroin, but he would also tell her she was nothing anyway. She was worthless and pathetic. The abuse was purely emotional at first. He verbally beat away any confidence or self-esteem the young woman had - which was hardly any to begin with. It was only when she was a weakened shell of the woman she used to be that his abuse turned physical, leaving bruises upon her already wounded skin.

I love him. I need him. I don’t want to be alone. That was what Ellie would always tell herself each time she thought of leaving him. She loved him. Despite his taunts and assaults, she loved him. Or, she loved the man she met. That wasn’t him anymore, or maybe it never was. It hurt to think about but Ellie knew that there was a chance Zed was never the man she met and merely put up an act to win her over, knowing she was an easy target for his manipulation. Did she need him? She didn’t but she thought she did. He provided her with a home and there were moments, though they were rare, that he made her feel loved and wanted, and she needed that. She loved that feeling.

Ellie really didn’t want to be alone though and without Zed, who did she have? No one. She’d made a few friends in Los Angeles but slowly, Zed had made sure they all ended the friendship. Whether it was his behavior that turned them off or whether it was Ellie’s constant refusal to leave the man that made them give up. Either way, they all left. She didn’t have her family, she’d burned those bridges long ago.

Hearing footsteps beside her, Ellie zoned back into reality and looked up. The person offered her a polite smile before they kept walking. “Hey, wait a minute.” She stood up from the seat she had taken at a bus stop, rushing after the person. The dark-haired girl offered her another smile. “Haven’t seen you around here before.” She spoke and Ellie nodded. “Yeah, uh, just got here.” She answered, her voice quiet and nervous. “Well, I’m Talia. Welcome to Limbo. What brings you here?” She asked. This girl was cheerful - too cheerful for Ellie’s liking. “I’m, uh, here to visit family. Do you happen to know the Kessler’s?” She asked, biting her bottom lip.

“Girl, you’re in Limbo now. Everybody knows everybody and their business too.” Talia laughed and Ellie forced a smile on her lips. “You know where they live? Still the same house?” she asked and the other woman nodded, grabbing a piece of paper from her bag and messily scribbling down an address while she rambled off a few directions. “You didn’t tell me your name.” She said and Ellie muttered a half-hearted apology. “Ellie.” Her voice was still soft and she quickly waved, excusing herself before she headed in the direction the other girl pointed her in, wanting to get away from the conversation as soon as possible.

She walked the short distance that Talia had directed her and found herself standing in front of the address she was given. Nerves overtook her, though she wasn’t sure if the nausea was nerves or withdrawals. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she tried to alleviate the dizziness she felt. She hadn’t thought about what she would do once she got to Limbo. It was typical of her - to only have half a plan. She sat in the curb for a few moments before she stood up, walking in the opposite direction of the home as she tucked the address in her pocket.

She wasn’t sure about many things but one thing she was sure of right now was that she couldn’t do this sober.

FULL NAME: Ellie Rain Kessler NICKNAMES: El, Els DATE OF BIRTH: March 31st, 2000 (20) ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aries OCCUPATION: Currently unemployed  MARITAL STATUS: Single POSITIVE CHARACTER TRAITS: Intelligent, independent, kind NEGATIVE CHARACTER TRAITS: Reckless, dramatic, selfish PLAYBY: Carmela Zumbado