"A Dark Morning"

As I stood there, still basking in the warmth of my friends' concern, I heard a familiar voice in my head. It was Osby, and he sounded genuinely sorry. "Hey, I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you. I didn't know what to do and I still have limited access to talk to you." I responded mentally, trying to reassure him, "It's ok, Osby. It's not your fault." Just then, my phone buzzed with an incoming text. I pulled it out to see a message from Monoma. His words were blunt as always, but I could sense a hint of worry behind them. "How are you? So stupid to where you were a hostage. You could have died!" I quickly typed out a response, trying to reassure him that I was okay. "I'm ok, and thank you for being worried." As soon as Monoma saw my response, he blushed a bit and then fell silent. I couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight of his reaction. Before I could process my emotions further, Todoroki walked up towards me, his eyes filled with concern. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help," he said, his voice laced with regret. I shook my head, trying to reassure him. "No, no, it's fine Todoroki. I'm ok." He seemed less worried after my response, and I could see the tension in his body ease. Without another word, he opened his arms, and I stepped into a warm hug. He hugged me back, and for a moment, everything felt right with the world. The warmth and comfort of the hug were short-lived, however, as we soon parted ways to board a bus back to U.A. The ride was uneventful, and I spent most of it lost in thought. Once we arrived, I headed straight to the dorm I stayed in, eager to retreat to the safety of my room. I spent the rest of the day holed up in my room, trying to process everything that had happened. As night began to fall, I finally drifted off to sleep, exhausted from the events of the day. The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to face the day. But my peace was short-lived, as I was greeted by a knock on the door. I walked towards the entrance, expecting it to be one of my friends. But to my surprise, I saw a police officer standing in the doorway. "Hi, can I help you with something?" I asked, trying to sound calm. The officer's expression was somber. "Are you Vesper?" I nodded, a sense of unease growing in my stomach. "Yes, I am." The officer's voice was laced with regret. "I'm sorry, but we found your parents dead this morning." My heart sank, and I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. I just stood there, unable to process the news. "What...what do you mean they're dead?" I stammered. The officer's expression was grim. "We believe they were murdered by the League of Villains." I felt like my world had come crashing down around me. I fell to my knees, unable to bear the weight of the news. That's when I heard Mina's voice, concern etched in her tone. "Vesper, what's wrong?" I looked up at her, tears streaming down my face. "My parents...they're dead," I sobbed, the words barely escaping my lips.