Oh, what boring news. Damaged goods; but so we’ve met. #Alex

Dear Diary,

Today was so embarrassing… Hmmmp.

I woke up from a nap and I thought it was already morning. I was about to go to school in the middle of the night, but luckily my mom stopped me before I opened the door.

*Scribble*

I swear I will never take a nap again when the sun has just set!

-Love, Alex

◇

My mom once told me, "When you meet someone who is special in an unexpected way, hold on to him and don't let him go. That kind of person who makes you feel comfortable and free is hard to find."

I think I've met him.

I don't know. Just thinking about him makes me feel like I'm losing myself.

I was overwhelmed with a mix of emotions when I first met him. Our encounter was strange, embarrassing, and unexpected. But that was not the only reason.

It's because I heard a voice inside me — saying, "It's him."

That's why I've decided to go back there. I'm going to save him, no matter what. I'm not going to let you go, even if it means going to the end of the world.

I won't let my love story end like this! It can't!

But before that, let me tell you how we met.

I'm Alexandria Ambrose, but my friends simply call me Alex. This is the beginning of my love story. Fuhhhh~ Honestly, this is embarrassing to tell…

◇

"Mom, have you seen my keys?" I asked, rummaging through the drawers.

"No, dear," she replied, sipping her coffee.

"Where is it? Does anyone know where my keys are, Dad?" I asked Dad, who was already opening the door, ready to go to work.

"Sorry, baby, I have to go. See you at the clinic."

"Okay, Dad, be safe."

I searched everywhere for them. Where could they be? Did they have a mind of their own? They always disappeared when I needed them, but showed up when I didn't. It was like they were playing a cruel game with me.

"Pete, have you seen my keys?" I shouted to my brother, who was watching TV in the living room.

"Your scooter key?" he asked, without looking away from the screen.

"Yes, the one with my scooter key. Have you seen it?" I repeated, getting impatient.

"Nope." He shrugged and resumed his show.

I sighed and went back to my mom.

"Mom, I can't find my keys," I said, feeling hopeless.

"Dear, why don't you ask me where my keys are?" she suggested, with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. Mom was always trying to be funny.

"Mom, I'm looking for my keys," I repeated, ignoring her.

"No, dear, ask me where my keys are," she insisted, her voice cold.

"Mom, where are your keys?" I asked, feeling a chill down my spine.

"They're here, Alex, in the keyholder. And they've even labeled "Keys". Why don't you try putting your keys here for a change? You sound like a fool, asking for keys, keys, keys. You have eyes, Alex. Use them instead of your mouth to look," she scolded me.

She always scolded me whenever she had the chance. But she was really terrifying. She didn't even raise her voice.

"Alex, come here. Let's find your keys," she beckoned, her eyes gleaming.

I shook my head. No way. I wanted to avoid the inevitable.

"No, Mom, I'm fine. I'll go look for them," I said quickly, backing away.

"No, no, come here. Let's start on the sofa. Oh, look, Alex. It's your keys. We found them," she said sarcastically.

She found them just like that? How? I looked at the keys. They were mine. She had just found them under the sofa cushion.

"Right, Mom. We found them," I said nervously. I grabbed the keys and ran outside as fast as I could. Safe.

◇

I'm riding my scooter to school, thinking about something that I asked Jake to fix. Jake is my gay friend, and he's wonderful. We've been friends since middle school, when school life was different from what it is now, after the Third World War.

Anyway, I have some tasks to do at school before traveling to the clinic to help Dad. Dad's assistant had some trouble with the Transportal and ended up in Hawaii. He won't be able to come back today.

Ting!

Jake sent me a photo of himself. I slowed down my scooter and texted Jake back, "You're gorgeous! What's that outfit you're wearing?"

"It's a police officer outfit. Doesn't it suit me?" he replied. "It's cute, right?"

"Wow, your butt is so tight!" I texted back, admiring Jake's boldness.

"So sexy, right?" he replied. "Anyway, I fixed your bird."

"Bird? You're hilarious. I'm heading to school, and then to the clinic. Thanks, Jake. You're a lifesaver."

"If you don't want me to call it a bird, shall I call it Dildo?"

"NOOOOOO!!!"

"Haha got you, catch you later."

Yes, I had Jake fix my mom's dildo for me because it vibrated nonstop. To be honest, sneaking it out of the house was really tough.

My mother was unaware, and she should never know. It was my fault; I became intrigued and broke it. No, it was not just idle curiosity; I had used it frequently, and I was embarrassed. I am a shy girl who had no idea that such a thing existed. When I did an image search, it piqued my interest. I eventually tried it and became addicted in some way. Worse, it was my mother's. I once saw her use it. Now I have a secret that I can't tell anyone except Jake.

Sigh, I'm such an idiot.

When I arrived at school, a massive shield was erected. It looked like a honeycomb but was transparent and gently colored green. It meant "No Danger."

This time, my project is about biology, which is why I'm happy to help Dad. It's about the life expectancy of animals. One of my teammates brought his fox pet, which is quite rare; it's already 30 years old, older than its owner. Can you imagine that?

Wow, it's quite tall.

We take group photos, talk about various topics, and laugh at each other's jokes. Anna is one of my teammates, and she says strange things at every meeting. Right now, she's discussing the prospect of using urine to determine an animal's true life expectancy if it is free of illness and only dies in old age.

She's a strange girl, but she's incredibly intelligent. She is probably going to save my grades.

When the meeting is over, I rush to the clinic since I can't make Jake wait.

◇

["…integrated with a lot of fail-safe systems. That's why it's not surprising to say that 90% of its framework is designed to handle any known risk the technology may pose. So, it's not the Department of Transportation's fault; they do an excellent job. I even want to thank them because when I discovered that traveling through space was possible, I was already aware that many things could go wrong. But they built a system that negates everything I said. So, it's 'thanks' to the Department of Transportation that people who used the Transportal this morning ended up in other countries. It could have been even worse, you know, not only death but also being stuck!! They could have been stranded in some unknown place."]

The news is being broadcast on TV. Where is the remote? Where did Dad put it?

I have already overturned most of the things on the desk but I can't seem to find it.

Sigh.

I should go ask him.

I walked away from the customer's desk to see Dad in the operating room. I froze when I opened the door because Dad was holding a long, massive snake.

Hiiiik! It opened its mouth wide. I slammed the door shut.

"Is that you, Alex?" asked my father. I ignored Dad's question and ran back to the Customer Service Desk.

I had forgotten Dad was examining a snake right now, and it's giving me the creeps. When I arrived at the clinic, I saw a customer talking to my Dad. He left soon after, probably to let Dad take care of his pet. I only read the record that said "snake" so it didn't make much impression on me.

Hiiiik! It makes me shiver just thinking about it.

["…concerns that these incidents could be an attack from the Third Remnant. Dr. Jones, the father of Space Manipulation Technology, stated that manipulating space is more than just causing it to open and going through it. It's like seeds; if specific conditions are met, a plant will grow. In this scenario, a portal can occur naturally. But where is the destination? If you know what seed you plant, you can predict what kind of plant it will become. It is self-evident. People ended up in different places because of this. The destination was already determined before creating the portal; it cannot be random. After all, it's an artificial portal, and the system always knows what the destination is. There are no exceptions."]

["But isn't it the fail-safe that causes them to change their destination? How can you explain that?"]

["You see Roger…, Roger, right?"]

["Yes, yes. Roger Cover."]

["Okay, Roger, you see how more than one seed can be placed in one hole? But that would be chaotic, right? However, if every seed stays dormant except one, only one seed can grow. It's similar to how Transportal works. There is a dormant fail-safe destination and a desired destination that the commuter can choose. If something goes wrong with the chosen destination, the dormant destination will be triggered. After all, it's…"]

I'm bored; no customers are coming, and the news never stops.

When is Jake going to arrive? He said he was on his way. It's been hours.

I guess I should check my social media or watch some Shorts.

◇

Huh? Did I doze off?

I guess it's fine, just five more minutes…

◇

Huh? Who? What am I doing again? Ow. I… I fell asleep at Dad's clinic. Did Dad notice?

Wait, four hours? I slept for four hours. Are there any customers? Oh no, oh no. If there is no new record, that means Dad did not accommodate anyone. Phew. Safe.

["…tem. By 1 p.m. this afternoon, everyone whose location was rerouted had been certified safe and sound. The DOT assures that…"]

What, is the news still on? Is it true that the news is always broadcast these days?

Yeah, maybe I didn't notice because when I watch the TV in my room, I always switch to Netflix. Ah. It's no surprise that the news is frequently shown in the living room.

It's already nearly 4 p.m. The clinic is only open until 5 p.m., but we usually close at 4 p.m. I think I should call it a day. I need to consult with Dad before I do anything else.

◇

"How are you doing, Dad?" I greet Dad casually, as I open the door.

"Alex, look there. Isn't it amazing! That guy is so large, I bet he could swallow an entire cat in a second!"

I looked towards the direction Dad had pointed and saw a massive aquarium.

Hiiiik!

It was still here! My body stiffened as I grimaced. Yes, I had completely forgotten. The customer had not yet collected his giant pet snake.

"Y-e-z, D-a-d, amaz… amazing, it's amazing. No, it's wonderful. It's almost time to close the shop; I'll wrap things up at the customer's desk. Ha. Ha. See you later, Dad," I stammered while stuttering my words.

I backed away frantically and almost tripped. If I had waited one more second, I would have frozen until the customer picked up his terrifying pet snake. Why do people get snakes as pets? Ugh, I don't understand these people.

As I cleaned up the shop, a customer arrived who had Asian features. He had a sunshine smile plastered all over his face.

I greeted him, "Welcome, sir. How may I assist you?"