The Misfortunate Incident

The Misfortunate Incident

Chapter Two

While walking to the kitchen in search of some food after her shower, Emilia heard the familiar tune coming from her phone which notified her that Jessi was calling. Scooping up her phone, she grimaced when thinking about what this conversation would involve. She’d updated Jessi through text about how her presentation had gone and knowing her like she does, Emilia knew she’d have to give her a play by play before she’d even think about letting her stew in her own humiliation.

“He—”

“EMILIA!! Please tell me you were joking!” Jessi cut off. Pushing aside pleasantries between these two was common when there were more important matters to discuss.

“Well, I mean it really does sound worse than—”

“YOU PUKED ON PROFESSOR BARKLEY” her best friend nearly screeched before breaking off into a fit of giggles that made Emilia feel both mortified and amused.

“Jess—"

“Bhahaha—I’m sorry it’s not funny but— “Jessi snorted before another fit of laughter overtook her and interrupted her attempt to comfort her friend.

            Pulling the phone away from her ear Emilia couldn’t help the slight smile that broke across her face, at the sound of her best friend’s uncontrollable laughter caused by her ridiculous misfortune. As she waited for her best friend to finally calm down and regain her barring’s, Emilia let out an amused sign before beginning to prepare her cup noodle dinner.

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“I’m telling you Em, it really isn’t that bad, everyone will forget about it by Tuesday, and it’ll be like it never happened. Besides, if you ask me that was probably the most iconic thing you could’ve done in that class. Everyone knows Barkley is the least interesting, longwinded professor in our university” Jessi snorted after the girls debriefed the events of Emilia’s disaster of a day.

“He looked at me like I’d just ran over his dog as I walked out of class, I probably traumatized the poor man—stop laughing it’s not funny I can hear you!” Emilia whined. She’d long since finished her dinner and settled onto her couch, the girls had switched to facetiming each other halfway through the call. This gave her the perfect view to all her friends gasps and giggles that occurs during the recounting of events that occur in her last lecture of the day.

“Are we going to watch this show or not jess, you’ve only been asking me to watch it for the last couple of weeks” Emilia snorted while searching up her friend’s latest obsession, a show called F4 Thailand, which Jessi hadn’t stopped nagging her to get into since it started airing. After talking they’d decided to watch it together on facetime since neither girl thought it was a good idea to go out considering the weather.

“Yes, gosh we got so sidetracked its literally already nearing 7pm”

“I know, somebody was having too much fun laughing at my pain, you’re. lucky I don’t have work tomorrow or we’d never get to watch—” Emilia’s spiel was cut off as a crack of thunder sounded through the room and echoed from the phone.

            Since they’d been on the phone the storm clouds had rolled in and darkened the once tranquil blue sky, turning it a dark grey almost black while the sun set to light up another part of the world till tomorrow. Her mother had messaged to inform her, shed be spending the night at the hospital to avoid going out in the rain, and asked her to make sure all the windows and front door were locked. She also reminded her daughter where the flashlights were kept in case of a power outage and not to stay up too late just because it was the weekend.

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After settling in and pulling up the show on their respective tv’s, the girls hit play and began to indulge in their favorite past time just like the hopeless romantics they were. The girls loved to throw in their own commentary and overzealous reactions to the scenes playing out before them, which led for the apartments to be filled with laughter and yelling that looked a bit like this.

“Ooh he’s cute, is he the main lead”

“Why was that literally the most dramatic way to bump into someone I’ve ever seen” “Em I’ve honestly seen you do worse, leave that girl alone”

“No because literally all he needed to do was take a wet wipe and clean his shoe, its rhinestone” “I thought the exact same thing when I first saw that scene but like he’s also supposed to be a spoiled brat so”

“Wow she literally walked away from her when the ONLY reason she’s even getting bullied is because of her, I’m going to swing” “My thing is like okay yea I get not wanting to get bullied but like no one was even around, SHE COULD’VE ATLEAST SAID HI”

“Why is MJ kinda...” “Right, they need to give my man more appreciation”

“AHH NOT HIM BUYING THE BUS SHE TAKES” “IF HE WNTED TO HE WOULD”

“No wait—” A crack or thunder accompanied the tv and lights in the apartment shutting off and plunging the two girls into darkness with a screech.

“Ugh you have got to be kidding me right now” “No we were literally only on episode four you haven’t even got to see the best parts yet”

            Sighing while getting up from the couch, Emilia headed to the kitchen cabinet under the sink to retrieve the flashlight and shine some light in the otherwise pitch-black living room. Walking back into her living room she calls out to Jessi and lets her know they’ll have to continue tomorrow before they bid goodbye and hang up for the night.

            After double checking all the windows and front door locks, she was about to head into her room when she saw what she thought was a spark coming from the outlet that the tv was plugged into. Standing completely still it only took a minute before she once again saw the flick of sparks coming from the outlet, and decided it was better to unplug the set for the night than risk the possibility of a fire starting while she slept.

Crouching down she reached out for the plug, when -- CRASH -- the sound of a frame being knocked to the floor caused her to jump back onto her bottom while looking over to the source of the sound and seeing her cat Salem sitting on the counter while cleaning his paws.

“Do only exist to give me heart attacks” she chided while shaking her head and resting her hand on her chest to calm down. She’d always hated thunderstorms and now without the distraction of the tv and the only light filling the room being that of the flashlight coupled with the occasional flash of lighting, her fear was being to creep up on her.

Taking a second to collect her thoughts she refocused on her goal of unplugging the tv and heading to bed to sleep off the remanent of the day. Reaching forward she grasped the plug and pulled before she saw a bigger spark ignite and an intense buzz run up her arm through her body before everything went black.

Shadowed Halls

(Chapter 1)

Summary: For a girl who grew up in a small town in west Texas she'd never known an unfriendly face. People would greet each other with sweet smiles and small talk in the morning, always ready to lend a hand to their neighbor. Any would think this an ideal environment for one to grow and mature in, but as she ventures into unknown territory she'll see just how wrong she was and how much more cautious she should've been.

Word Count: 2.5k

I just finished rewatching Strangers From Hell and it left me wanting to write about it, therefore this was born. If you like it please feel free to leave a like and comment your thoughts <3

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As the taxi rolled to a stop in front of the run-down cobblestone complex, you felt the excitement that had been sitting in your stomach fade slightly the longer you took it in. Your thoughts were cut short by the rough, hacking cough let out by the taxi driver before his eyes cut sharply to you in the rearview mirror. Without saying anything, it wasn't hard to get his message with the impatient raising of his brow. Glancing at the meter, you grabbed your wallet and pulled out some cash before handing it to the man with a timid smile. After he finished counting and deposited the money into the cash box, it was clear that any business he thought he had with you was over as he popped the trunk and unlocked the taxi's door locks. Not wanting to cause any more annoyance to the man, you flashed what you hoped came across as a grateful smile and chirped a goodbye before getting out to retrieve your suitcase from the back. Hauling the suitcase out of the trunk pulled a grumble from within your throat, the cab driver didn't seem to want to offer the same help he'd previously given when you'd loaded it in initially. With one final huff, you were able to get it out and place it on the sidewalk before grabbing your duffle bag. Slamming the trunk closed and walking back onto the concrete sidewalk was all the confirmation the cabbie needed as the tires let out a slight screech as he pulled off. The taxi's departure marked a definitive point; there was no turning back now.

Turning to face the building, a feeling of surreal disbelief flowed through you and left a tingly sensation from the tips of your fingers to your toes. The feeling of success was undeniable; making this move was something that you could only dream of doing while working on the farm with your father. Your parents hadn't exactly been thrilled with the idea when you proposed what you thought would be the next step in your young adult life. Hearing that you wanted to move from Texas to New York nearly sent your mother into cardiac arrest. It took weeks of explaining before they realized how serious you were about following through with your plan. While your mom tried to take the calmer approach, your father had no problem telling you how outlandish and ridiculous your idea was. The determination you had to follow through with your proposition eventually wore them down and got them to support their oldest daughter's dream to spread her wings in the "big city." A vibration from your jeans pocket caused you to jolt before reaching to grab your phone and look at the screen as a smile slowly spread across your face. Hitting the accept call button, you leaned onto one leg and raised the phone to your ear while holding the handle of your suitcase securely in the other hand.

"Hey mom, miss me already?" you greeted with a hint of teasing in your voice. Saying goodbye to your mother had taken the longest, so it wasn't a big surprise to you that she'd be the first to call.

"Hi Sugar, I just wanted to check on you. You said you'd call when you landed, but it's been 2 hours since your flight got in. You know I worry," the soft voice with a southern twang that could only belong to her mother rang through your ears.

"I'm sorry mama, you wouldn't believe how plumb crazy the airport over here is. I swear it took me nearly an hour to get my luggage and then another half hour to flag down a cab. I just reached the apartment complex; I still need to go get the keys," you explained to your fretting mom while people rushed by you on the sidewalk, smiling at the few that seemed to cast you inquisitive or annoyed looks.

"I warned you, city folk move like someone's lit a fire in their pants. You'll get the hang of it soon. Remember that papa's already paid the first three months' rent for you. Once you save money from your new job, you'll have to take it over yourself, but everything should be sorted with that---" Your mother's chirping faded out when your attention shifted to a man who walked out of the doors of the complex. He was dressed in a grey suit and held a black briefcase; you couldn't help but feel like he looked like he walked off the pages of those fancy fashion magazines they have at the doctor's office. In your daze, you couldn't help but find it odd that a man that looked as sophisticated as him would be walking out of the worn-down building you'd be calling home for the time being. As if he felt your steady gaze being directed his way, his narrowed gaze cut up to yours from where it'd previously been focused on scrolling through his phone. You held the contact for a second before it sunk in that he'd caught you more or less gawking and you looked to the ground in embarrassment. Manners had always been something that your mother and grandmother had stressed over drilling into your head; leering at someone was sure to get your knuckles rasped with the wooden spatula. When a respectable amount of time seemed to pass, you glanced back up to find the man gone and breathed out a sigh of relief before refocusing back onto your mother.

"I've just finished sending out your stuff; Bobbie down at the shipping office said it should reach you by the end of the week, and then you can get the movers to bring it over to your apartment. Don't forget you have to call them, bunny." She finished before you heard a garbled voice call out for her in the background.

"I'll call you back later tonight, sweetie; your brother needs me. You just get your keys and get settled in, okay? Love you!"

"Love you too, ma," you chirped back with a smile before hearing the telltale click which signaled that she'd hung up the phone.

Sliding your phone back into the safety of your back pocket, you readjusted the slipping strap of your duffle and made your way to the stairs that led to the front door of the apartment complex.

Opening the door and making your way in didn't leave a better impression than simply looking from outside did. The harsh fluorescent lights on the ceiling seemed to buzz from overuse and served mostly to highlight the light dusting of dirt that coated the floors. Straight across from the entrance was an elevator with a handwritten 'out of order' sign taped in the middle. To the right was a set of stairs that presumably would lead to the upper floors, and to the left was the front that you'd been looking for—a faded green door with the word 'office' labeled on it in equally faded gold script.

Breathing a slight sigh of relief at finding the office so easily, you hiked your duffle further up your shoulder and made your way over to the door. Raising your hand up, you rapped your knuckles against the hard wood next to the frosted glass windowpane and waited until you heard a croaked-out voice call to come in before releasing a rough cough.

Turning the handle and stepping inside with a smile, you were greeted with an older man sitting in front of a desk shuffling through a stack of papers with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, seemingly looking for something. He looked to be around your pa's age, his hair more of a receding line with splotches of grey mixed into what once was black. The clicking that signaled the opening of the door caught his attention and caused him to halt his search as his dull grey eyes scanned you from head to toe while a smirk hitched one side of his lips up. The smoke that filled the room burned your lungs the longer you stood in the room, and the slightly cracked window to the left of his desk did little to help.

Flashing the man another smile, you glanced at the nameplate on his desk before beginning. "Hello, Mr. Miller, I'm your new tenant and was told to come here to pick up the keys for my apartment. I just got in today; I'm Y/N L/N."

"Hello, darling, yes, I remember; welcome to Pinecrest Manor. Had I known we'd have a little doll moving in today, I'd have dressed up a bit more for the occasion," he responded playfully while standing to leer at you before walking over to the glass case on the right side of the wall that held numerous pairs of keys. As Mr. Miller sauntered over to the glass case filled with keys, you couldn't help but feel a mixture of discomfort and impatience. The smoke-laden air made your throat itch, and you subtly coughed again, hoping to avoid inhaling more of it.

He continued to talk as he riffled through the keys, his voice raspy and slightly amused. "Ah, you said Y/N L/N, right? Yes, your paperwork is all here. Pinecrest Manor isn't much to look at, but we do our best to keep things in order around here." He chuckled to himself, finding his own comment amusing.

You nodded politely, though you were eager to receive your keys and get settled into your new apartment. Glancing around the office, you noticed the outdated décor and the layer of dust on some of the surfaces. It wasn't exactly the welcoming environment you had hoped for, but it would have to do for now.

After what felt like an eternity of Mr. Miller fumbling through keys, he finally selected a set and turned back to you with a grin. "Here we are, darling," he said, extending the keys towards you. "Apartment 305, up on the third floor. Elevator's out of order, so you'll have to take the stairs. But I'm sure a young thing like yourself won't mind the exercise." He paused before raking his eyes up and down the length of you as you stood to receive the keys. "You need some help finding it; I wouldn't want a sweet girl like you getting lost on your first day here."

You took the keys from where he dangled them teasingly out to you with a polite thank you, managing a small smile despite the persistent discomfort of the smoky room. "I'm sure I'll be able to manage. Thank you, Mr. Miller. I appreciate your help."

Though he looked mildly disappointed by the rebuff, he nodded, his smirk widening a fraction. "Anytime, Y/N. And if you need anything else, you know where to find me."

With that, you turned to leave, eager to escape the stifling office and finally settle into your new home. As you closed the door behind you, you took a deep breath of fresher air in the hallway, relieved to be out of Mr. Miller's smoke-filled domain.

As you made your way down the hallway, the dimly lit corridor of Pinecrest Manor seemed to stretch endlessly. The faint buzz of the fluorescent lights overhead added to the eerie atmosphere, contrasting sharply with the relative brightness of the office you had just left. You glanced down at the keys in your hand, feeling a mix of anticipation and apprehension about what lay ahead.

The worn carpet under your feet creaked softly with each step as you approached the stairwell. With a slight hesitation, you gripped the handrail and began ascending to the third floor. The staircase, much like the rest of the building, showed signs of age and neglect. Faded paint, scuff marks, and occasional cobwebs greeted you as you climbed higher.

Finally reaching the third-floor landing, you navigated your way to apartment 305. The hallway here was eerily quiet, the only sound being your own footsteps and the distant hum of the building's ventilation system. As you approached the faded green door labeled 305, you inserted the key and turned the lock.

The door swung open with a slight creak, revealing your new home. Stepping inside, you found yourself in a modestly sized living room. Sunlight filtered through dusty blinds, casting faint patterns on the worn carpet. The furnishings were basic but functional—a worn couch, a small coffee table, and a TV on a stand in the corner.

Setting your duffle bag down with a thud, you took a moment to survey the space. It wasn't luxurious by any means, but it would serve its purpose as your sanctuary for the foreseeable future. You walked through to the kitchenette, noting the outdated appliances and the flickering fluorescent light above the sink.

The bedroom was similarly modest, with a double bed pushed against one wall and a small dresser nearby. A narrow window offered a view of the neighboring buildings, their own faded facades staring back at you.

As you unpacked your belongings and began to settle in, you couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled over you since entering Pinecrest Manor. The interaction with the building manager left a sour taste in your mouth, and the first impressions of the building weren't fitting into what you'd pictured the whole flight over. Closing the drawer of the dresser after placing the last of your belongings inside, you glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand and saw the time flash back at you—2:00 PM.

Suddenly, a new feeling rushed through you as you realized where you were and what you'd done. Walking over to the double bed, you sat down and scanned around the room one more time, a new light making everything seem so much better. In contrast to when you'd first walked in, you felt like there was so much possibility and hope to be found in your new apartment. Letting out a squeal of excitement, you fell back onto the mattress and let all the excitement rush through your body in the form of more squealing and tapping of your feet from where they still rested on the floor.

In your excitement, you failed to realize how loud you'd been until you heard three rough bangs coming from the connecting wall with your neighbor which jolted you back to reality. Snapping back up to sit straight on the bed, you went quiet and waited a minute to see if they continued; when they stayed silent, you released a breath of relief before falling back down. As you went back to quietly getting lost in your thoughts about how you'd decorate your new space and fantasizing about the adventures you'd have in this new environment, a ping from your phone sounded before it began to ring with a familiar ringtone that caused a smile to spread across your lips. Sliding the device out from your back pocket, you held it up in front of you to confirm what you already knew you'd see and sat up while swiping to accept the call and holding it up to your ear.

"Hello?"

Two of A Kind: The Wrong Twin

Chapter 1

word count: 2.8k

The blaring of an alarm woke Jane with a start, blinking blearily she could make out the beginnings of the morning light peaking in from the sliver of space that the curtains failed to cover. Turning to her side away from the widow she watched the outline of her sister sleeping peacefully on her bed across from her, chest rising and falling peacefully as drool dripped from the side of her mouth. Narrowing her eyes, she reached behind her grabbing her stuffed bunny animal that she’d had since her childhood, Jane flung it with all the force she could muster hitting her target right in the face with the plush. With a muffled thud, the stuffed bunny hit her sister square in the face, causing her to jolt awake with a startled yelp. Her eyes flew open, wide with confusion, as she wiped the drool from her mouth and blinked in bewilderment.

"What the...?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes, and trying to make sense of the situation.

Jane couldn't help but burst into laughter at her sister's disheveled state, her amusement evident in the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "Good morning, sleepyhead!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with playful teasing.

Her sister's expression shifted from confusion to annoyance as she realized what had just happened. "Jane, seriously? Do you have to wake me up like that?" she grumbled, tossing the stuffed bunny back in her direction.

But Jane just laughed even harder, dodging the flying plush toy with practiced ease. "Come on, you have to admit, it was pretty funny," she insisted, her laughter echoing through the room.

Despite her initial irritation, her sister couldn't help but crack a smile at Jane's infectious laughter. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," she replied, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation. "Just don't make a habit of it, okay?"

“I wouldn’t need to if you’d wake up to your own alarm, you do realize you get up a whole hour before I do right, maybe you should’ve thought about that before you got a scholarship to the rich school Mrs. Honor roll” Jane retorted with a chortle as her sister groaned while rolling out of bed to begin getting ready.

“Yea well not all of us can count on our martial art skills to get us into college, going to Kocher will give me a leg up so I guess someone just going to have to deal with waking up early” Her sister, Jessi, finished with a laugh before ducking out of thee room when she saw her sister begin to playfully get out of bed. Dropping back down on her bed with a sigh, jane shook her head fondly at her brother before deciding to get an early start on breakfast before getting ready.

The two siblings had been attached at the hip since birth, whether this had anything to do with them quite literally being born at the same time was neither here nor there. Jane being born 2 minutes before Jessi was a fact that she refused to let her forget and often led her to assume the big sister role, which she’d then point out was unnecessary considering they were the same age. Their parents' dedication to their noodle shop was unwavering, often requiring them to leave home before dawn to prepare for the day ahead. Despite the financial strain, they had always prioritized their children's education, instilling in Jane and Jessi the value of hard work and determination.

Jane couldn't help but feel a swell of pride as she thought about her sister's scholarship to Kocher High School. She knew firsthand the effort and dedication she had put into achieving such a feat, and she admired her for it. Though their parents' income was stretched thin, Jane had willingly contributed a significant portion of her savings from winning martial arts competions to help cover Jessi's uniform and book expenses, understanding that education was an investment in their future.

Their bond as siblings was unbreakable, forged through years of shared experiences and mutual support. Despite being born just two minutes apart, Jane often found herself assuming the role of the protective older sister, a responsibility that Jessi sometimes teased her about. But for Jane, it was a role she embraced wholeheartedly, always ready to help her sister whenever she needed. When they were at the same school that usually mean stopping people from picking on her but thankfully her transfer to this new school meant those day were gone.

Glancing at the clock she notices that it was about the rime that she’d need to start getting ready to head out as well, plating Jessi’s breakfast she made her way upstairs just in time to pass her on her way down.

“Breakfast is on the table, don’t forget to eat before heading out have a good day little sister” she teased with a chuckle before ducking into the bathroom to avoid her sister’s wrath. As Jane stepped into the bathroom, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Her heart-shaped face, dotted with freckles, stared back at her with determination. Her short hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders, framing her features with a touch of effortless charm.

Deciding to forgo makeup for the day, Jane pulled her hair back into a low ponytail, securing it with a hair tie. She admired the way the strands cascaded down her back, a testament to her easygoing nature.

People often remarked on the striking resemblance she shared with her sister, from their similar heart-shaped faces to the way their hazel eyes crinkled when they laughed the only difference being that Jessi had taken to dying her natural dark brown hair a honey blonde since they’d hit puberty. With a final adjustment to her ponytail, Jane flashed herself a grin in the mirror. Ready to face the day ahead, she gathered her belongings and headed downstairs.

As Jane breezed into the kitchen, her eyes fell upon the familiar sight of Jessi's school jacket slung over the back of a chair. She couldn't help but chuckle at her sister's forgetfulness, shaking her head in amusement.

"Looks like someone forgot their jacket," Jane mused to herself, reaching out to grab the garment. She held it up with a playful smirk, inspecting it as if it held all the answers to life's mysteries. Since Jessi had started a Kocher at the beginning of their junior year, she’d forgotten her jacket a handful of times but each time, jane found joy in teasing her sister about his forgetfulness.

"Better not let her leave without this," Jane muttered to herself, a grin spreading across her face. With a quick glance at the clock, she hoped she might have just enough time to catch up to Jessi before she the bus came like she usually did and headed out the door.

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After catching the bus to her own school, Jane was currently at her locker grabbing her books for her first class and putting her bag away. Just as she was about to close her locker, she felt a presence creeping up behind her. With a playful giggle, she spun around to find herself face to face with her best friend, Kanning.

"Boo!" Kanning exclaimed, grinning mischievously as she leaned against the locker next to Jane's. "Caught you off guard, didn't I?"

Jane couldn't help but laugh at her friend's antics. "You sure did," she replied, rolling her eyes playfully. "What are you doing here so early? Don't tell me you're actually on time for once."

Kanning laughed, shaking her head. "Hey, I'll have you know that I am perfectly punctual when it counts," she insisted, though the twinkle in her eye gave her away. Jane laughed while shaking her head at her friend before slinging her arm over her shoulder and leading her in the direction of a table to chat before school started.

“Our group seems to have shrunk in the last yea huh. First Gorya and now Jessi, the fantastic four is separated” Kanning faked a crying sound while leaning her head onto Jane’s shoulder.

“Oh, what ever will we do, there there don’t cry” Jane comforted before pinching kanning’s cheek to get her to drop the act. “Quit your dramatics, we’ll see them later at Uncle Ga’s. Besides, is this your way of saying that I’m boring” she finished while feigning a glare and crossing her arms. Kanning's fake sobbing turned into giggles as Jane pinched her cheek. "Oh, please! Like anyone could ever find you boring," she retorted with a playful eye roll. "But seriously, it does feel a bit strange without the whole gang together."

Jane nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's different, but change can be a good thing, right? Besides we get to brag that our friends got in the top school in the country. We’ll just have to hold down the fort for them hm."

Kanning grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "You're right, fearless leader! The adventures of the fantastic four continue, even if we're missing a few heroes today," she declared, striking a superhero pose for emphasis.

Jane couldn't help but laugh at her friend's enthusiasm. "Fantastic four it is, then. But speaking of missing members, guess who forgot her school jacket this morning?" she said, her voice laced with amusement.

Kanning raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Who, Jessi? No surprises there," she replied with a chuckle. "Wait, doesn’t she have a debate competition today! What’s she going to do?” Kanning stood as the realization struck her.

Jane grinned while placing her hand on her friend’s arm to get her to sit back down. "Relax, I’ve got it figured out, I’ll just sneak out during lunch and take it to her." she replied, a hint of mischief dancing in her eyes.

Kanning laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "You're too good to her, you know that? But hey, it's all part of being the fantastic four," she said, linking her arm with Jane's as they headed to their first class. "Today’s shaping up to be quite the adventure, jacket delivery and all!"

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“Are you sure about this?” Kanning whispered while watching Jane scale the fence behind the gym, which faced the street.

“How are you even going to make it into their school without drawing attention to yourself?” Jane paused, perched on the fence for a moment before a grin spread across her lips. “I’ll just have to use our face card to get in.”

Kanning snorted. “Are you forgetting that you and Jessi haven’t had the same hair color since you hit puberty?”

Jane rolled her eyes before gesturing to her backpack, which was in Kanning’s grip. When she handed it to her, Jane pulled out a black bucket hat, placing it on her head with a cheeky grin. “Problem solved! I’ll be back before you know it, cover for me.”

Landing on the other side of the fence, Jane turned back to Kanning with a smile, to which she got an eyeroll in response. “That stopped being cool since we were freshmen. Don’t forget to set your watch; you have 40 minutes until lunch ends. Get there and back before then,” Kanning emphasized with a faux-serious look toward her friend.

Jane flashed a thumbs-up before darting off, disappearing around the corner of the school building. Kanning shook her head, a mixture of amusement and concern crossing her features as she watched her friend go.

Approaching the school Jane let out an impressed whistle at the size before continuing to the entrance, as she was about to approach, she quickly ducked back when she spotted a security guard. Looking around she noticed that the fence was much higher than the one at her school and would draw to much attention if she tried to scale it. During her panic, she noticed a luxurious car approaching the guard and smirked as an idea struck her, slipping on her sisters jacket she caught up to the car and put her plan into action.

As the car pulled up to the guard, Jane seized the opportunity and slipped in behind it, using the vehicle as a shield to hide her presence. She kept her head down, hoping the guard wouldn't notice her as he attended to the occupants of the car.

From her vantage point, Jane listened intently, her heart pounding in her chest. She could hear snippets of conversation between the guard and the occupants of the car, but her nerves made it difficult to focus. All she could think about was the risk she was taking and the consequences if she were caught.

As the car pulled away from the guard, Jane seized the opportunity and continued to use it as cover, staying close behind until it was safely past the guard. With bated breath, she waited for the perfect moment to break away and make her move. Once she thought she was far enough away she stood straight and begin walking away, unaware of the back window rolling down from the backseat with curious eyes.

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Navigating the ginormous halls of the school proved to be another task, jane found herself turned around more times than she’d like to admit. By the time she’d finally managed to find what looked to be a cafeteria a glance at her watch showed that she had about 20 minutes to find her sister and get back to her own school.

Jane hurried through the crowded cafeteria, her eyes scanning the sea of faces for any sign of her sister, she nearly cried of relief when she spotted her sister sitting with Gorya at a table in the far-right corner of the cafeteria. As she began making her way over the table she was stopped as a group of girls rushed by her shrieking towards a staircase where she saw four boys descending. Continuing her way albeit little confused, Jane ducked her head down as she began to pass the group only to once again have her path interrupted by the sparkiest pair of loafers she’d ever seen. Slowly raising her gaze, she came to face the owner of the shoes, a boy who looked at her with a mix of irritation and condensation.

Jane felt a pang of unease as she met the boy's gaze, his eyes piercing through her with an intensity that made her squirm uncomfortably. She shifted on her feet, suddenly self-conscious as she noticed the silence that washed over the cafeteria under his scrutiny.

"Excuse me," she mumbled, attempting to sidestep him and continue her way, but the boy didn't move, blocking her path with an air of deliberate stubbornness.

"You know if you’re going to use someone’s car to sneak into school late, you should make sure you know whose car it is” he said, his tone clipped and authoritative. "You’re lucky I don’t charge you the cleaning bill, since I’ll have to get, you’re fingerprints washed off later."

Jane bristled at the accusation, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry," she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. "It was a special circumstance."

The boy arched an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by her apology. "Well, next time, keep your hands off thing you probably won’t ever be able to afford," he replied, his tone dismissive as he brushed past her with his entourage, his shoulders stiff with indignation. Jane’s irritation spiked as he passed by “Jerk” she mumbled with an eyeroll.

“What was that?” She heard behind her and turned, “Oh I’m sorry was that not loud enough for you” clearing her throat she paused “I said you’re a Jerk” she finished sounding out the word for extra emphasis.

“Do you know who you’re talking to?” the boy retorted, taking an imposing step towards the girl. “No and quite frankly I don’t care to either” she continued scanning him from head to toe before casting a glance to her watch “I’ve already wasted enough time on you, if you’ll excuse me”

“I’m not done talking to you-” the rough hand landing on her shoulder was the last straw. Jane's martial arts training kicked in instinctively, her movements fluid and controlled. The boy's entourage stared in disbelief as their leader found himself unexpectedly on the floor, his eyes wide with shock. Jane stood over him, her expression a mixture of defiance and amusement.

"You really should learn to keep your hands to yourself," she quipped, her confidence returning. Their eyes locked in a moment in a stare off before a whistle broke through the silence.

“Stop, right there young lady!” A teacher appeared pointing a ruler at Jane, whose eye widened before she took off in the opposite direction.

As the girl ran down the hall in search of the exit, she yelped as her arm was suddenly grabbed and she was yanked in a dark supply closet. Putting her arms up she prepared to swing before letting out a breath at the familiar face in front of her.

“Jessi!” “What did you do!” the girls both exclaimed at the same time.

“Can you play the drums?”

Ben Hardy:

The Misfortunate Incident

Chapter One

“I'll love you till I take my last breath, Emilia!”

“No matter what gets thrown our way I'm prepared to fight for you.”

“I just need to know we're on the same page, what do you say Em?”

“Em?”

“Emilia”

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 --- " EMILIA! Wake up, you’re going to be Late! "

Light flooding into the once dark room as the screech of the curtains being shoved open accompanies her mom’s voice, jolts Emilia from her sleep. Turning over to look at the time flashing on the alarm clock, she’s struck with the realization that she has less than 20 minutes to get ready or risk missing the bus for her first class. After throwing the blanket off her body, she welcomes the cold air while heading to her closet in search of something to wear.

Still being in the post sleep daze of consciousness led to many mishapes to occur in her morning routine, such as knocking her shoulder into the door frame on her way to the bathroom to and stubbing her toe while walking to her dresser. After grabbing her bag and an apple from her kitchen, she kissed her mom goodbye and rushed out of her apartment to the bus stop.

(Outfit and Hair)

“Of all the days to oversleep, it just had to be today” she muttered, while rushing down the never-ending flights of stairs she’s had to take in place of the elevator since it’s been broken for the past month.

Emilia smiled at the Abby, a grey-haired woman, that worked at the apartment front office as she reached the lobby of her building. Bursting out the front double doors she hurried down the front stairs and onto the busy Seattle sidewalks in search of the bus stop. She arrived just as it was about to take off and knocked on the door while looking pleadingly at the driver who took sympathy on the frazzled girl and reopened the door so she could climb on.

“Overslept again Em, that the second time this month”

Emilia smiled at the bus driver, an older man named Harold who she was used to seeing every day, while she swiped her bus pass and responded to his playful jab with her own.

“I stayed up late working on a presentation for school, I wish I was old like you and didn’t have to worry about things like this anymore”

Harold laughed and shooed the girl to find a seat so he could take off and makeup for the couple minutes he lost waiting for the scatter-brained girl. Settling into her seat and plugging in her headphones, Emilia settled in for her commute to school and prayed that the rest of the day would run much smoother than her morning proved to be. The music flowing through her ears and the scenery zooming by allowing the girl some peace before her hectic day was her favorite part of her morning routine

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Arriving to school she searched for her friend Jessi in hopes of getting breakfast before they had to separate and begin their classes for the day. Luckily Emilia only had three classes on her schedule for Fridays, today she wished for a full schedule to avoid going to her last class of the day where she had a presentation due. Though she stayed up well into the night to practice, it didn’t do much to diminish her nerves. This wasn’t entirely surprising considering that anyone who knew the girl would know that she was terrified of public speaking and has been known on more than one occasion to freeze up entirely when in front of a crowed.

Lost in her thoughts she jumped when she was poked in the side and whirled around to face the girl shed been searching for, Jessi Solace. Emilia and Jessi have been friends since they were in middle school and Jessi stood up for Emilia when she was getting picked on by a group of girls, they’d been inseparable since.

“Woah Em! Did you pull another all-nighter, your eyebags are so dark” Jessi gasped.

“Don’t even get me started, I was so nervous for today I don’t even know how I managed to get any sleep at all” Emilia replied while walking in the direction of the canteen with Jessi at her side.

“Em, I swear you’re going to be fine. You always get yourself so worked up about these things and you do just fine once you do it” Jess nudged her best friend with a laugh while they got their food.

The girls found a table and sat down before Jessi called for Emilia’s attention to talk about the latest show, she’d been invested in.

“I can’t believe its almost over and you still haven’t started watching it, I honestly think it’s the best adaptation so far, no lie F4 Thailand is way too good for to not even have started episode” she chided her brunette friend.

“It’s not that I haven’t wanted to watch it Jess, I’ve just been busy with classes I haven’t had much time to do anything really, besides I doubt that this version can be any better than Meteor Garden, which if I recall correctly, you also dubbed the best version” Emilia laughed while raising her eyebrow at her less that amused friend who simply responded by sticking her tongue out.

“I swear I really mean it this time promise me you’ll watch it today, besides its Friday and we have a three-day weekend any, it’ll be the perfect relaxer after these last couple weeks you spent on this project” she begged with a pout.

“Ugh fine I promise, now I got to get to my first class I’ll see you later, love you”

“Love you too”

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            After she separated from Jessi, the rest of Emilia’s day seemed to speed by until it was finally time to head to her last lecture and give her presentation. While on the way to class Emilia felt her nerves began to reignite, her thoughts spiraled on all the things that could possibly go wrong, she was snaped out of it when she collied with a girl and felt the front of her shirt become soaked with a cold substance. Looking down her shirt had a big stain and through the girl began to apologize, Emilia brushed her off with a strained smile and rushed to the nearest bathroom.

            Dabbing at her shirt with a paper towel did very little to help the stain and she quickly realized she’d need to go to class with a stained shirt or risk failing the presentation. Releasing a deep breath Emilia grabbed her bag and left the bathroom to continue to get to her class while trying to calm her racing heart and hold back the tears of frustration that threatened to break past her water line.

            Stepping into class she rushed to the back of the classroom and slumped into her seat while resting her head on her arms in an attempted to ground herself. After a few peaceful minutes the clack of heels filled the auditorium like classroom and drew the attention of the students who were previously either chatting or scrambling to finish last minute details they didn’t have the energy to do the night before.

“Good afternoon, Class, I hope everyone was able to successfully complete their presentation projects, today we’ll be doing the first set of presentations and will finish the rest next Tuesday after the four-day weekend. I’ve also decided that to add an element of surprise I’ll be choosing popsicle sticks to determine order.” Her professor announced with a smile while the students let out a collective groan at the news.

“Since I can see how enthusiastic you all are, let’s begin”

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As the time ticked on and one presentation after the other went by, Emilia began to grow hopeful that she wouldn’t get called to present and would be able to hold off till the following week when she wasn’t covered in someone’s iced coffee. Her heartrate began to slow when she checked the time and there was 10 minutes left of the class, she was sure that the professor would end it there and she’d get off scott free. She felt on top of the world, the room felt brighter, the air felt fresher, everything felt gre—

“Emilia Raven, you’ll be our last presentation for today”

She’d never felt her heart drop as fast as it did in that moment, taking a deep breath Emilia shakily stood up and began walking down the steps towards the front of the auditorium. Once she reached the bottom step she looked towards her professor and could feel the surprise in his eye at what she was sure was her less than tidy state of being, with her dark under eyes and coffee-stained shirt on full display seeing as she had to leave the house bares faced in her rush that morning and her little misshape that took place minutes before class.

Taking a deep breath, she mustered up a smile and turned to face the waiting students.

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Stepping into the apartment, Emilia slammed the door behind her and called out a greeting to her mother while walking to the kitchen in search of a snack. Once she entered, she noticed a note sitting on the counter and upon closer inspection saw it was from her mom informing her that she got called in to work the night shift at the hospital. She also warned her to not go back out, since there was supposed to be a storm rolling into the area and she didn’t want her out in it.

Setting the note back down on the counter, she let put a sigh and thought about how she should spend her night, her mom working the night shift meant she’d have the apartment to herself for the night and she fully intended to take advantage. She was going to wash the stench of coffee off her, make herself dinner and maybe finally get around to watching the new show her best friend had been trying to get her to watch.

seems about right. #ivarsshieldmaiden