Xinya could only let out a silent laugh at Melting Snow's words, but he could admit that the child was right. He really should read the journal to activate the DEV's quest.
The quicker he starts it, the more of the mini-quests he can get done before he becomes busy with other things, such as fixing his farm. But even though this was a good idea, he foresaw a problem.
'How am I going to read a book and look where I'm going at the same time?' Xinya pondered as he turned his attention back towards his interface. 'I guess I should try anyway, and if I start tripping over my own feet, I can always use Melting Snow as my seeing-eye puppy.'
While laughing at the ridiculous idea of Melting Snow leading him along by the hand, Xinya pulled up his inventory. After scrolling through the various objects, he had inside, he finally found the journal. 
As he tapped on it to take it out of his inventory, a pop up appeared with two options. They were Manually and Virtually. 
Wondering what these options meant, Xinya clicked on the small question mark on the top left corner of the pop-up box and began to read. 
Manually: Do you like the feeling of reading a book the old fashioned way, then this option is for you. Sit back in a nice comfy chair and start reading.
Virtually: Do you like reading on the go? Then download the contents of your book to your interface. You can read it on the screen, or the text can be converted to audio. *Except for quest items, the book will be destroyed with this option.
Xinya was glad he read the information options, even though reading the journal using the Virtually option would be helpful to him. There was still a chance that the book might be destroyed.
Although the journal was the trigger for the Dev's quest, he didn't think it was a quest object. Usually, when an item is a quest object, it is labeled that way, but the journal was not. 
Sighing to himself, he decided to risk it, since the information inside would still be available to him anyway.
Pressing the Virtually option, Xinya watched as the leather-bound journal in his inventory began to sparkle. This lasted for a couple of seconds before he got a system prompt.
[System: Song Lingchen's journal has been downloaded to your interface! You can find it under reading material!]
To his surprise, the journal didn't disappear at all and was still completely intact. 'Maybe DEV quest objects are different from the normal ones.'
Shrugging, Xinya clicked off his inventory and found the reading material icon. Once he opened it, he tapped on the digital cover and watched as the first entry of Song Lingchen's journal appeared on his transparent screen.
 3rd day of Autumn, ZhouXia Dynasty year 22.
Dearest Journal,
I have been married to my darling Ling for almost a week now. The contentment I feel now that we are wedded courses throughout my entire being. From the first day we met all those years ago, I knew we were perfect for each other.
I will not let her regret the day she became my wife. With my words as my vow, I promise to make her proud of me.
Using the farm that my parents gifted to us on our wedding day, I will become a successful entrepreneur that my sweet Ling believes that I can be. 
My apprenticeship under Huang Xiaoming's father won't go to waste. I will turn this pile of dirt into a giant fortune. 
'So, the farm was a wedding gift,' Xinya thought as he scrolled down to the next entry.
 14th day of Autumn, ZhouXia Dynasty year 22.
Dearest Journal,
Sadly, I had come across a mild setback when I was getting the soil ready to farm. A neighboring farm owner came to welcome us, as I was greeting, he noticed that the earth was odd-looking and suggested that it might be clay soil. 
As he was a stranger to me and may have some illicit intentions, I thanked him kindly for his insight and proceeded to check it out myself.
Bottling up some of the soil, I rode to town to see a geological specialist. Only to learn that what my neighbor said was correct. It was Clay soil.
This small setback won't deter me, though. The geological specialist gave a great solution; it will just cost a few more coins than I have. But that is what loans are for.
Xinya, who was completely inept with the different aspects of farming, was confused as to why clay soil was terrible. But luckily for him, his interface was one step ahead of him and made it so he could access more information about it. 
Tapping on the word, he began to read:
Clay is the smallest particle amongst the other two types of soil. The particles in this soil are tightly packed together with each other with very little or no airspace. This soil has excellent water storage qualities and makes it hard for moisture and air to penetrate into it. It is very sticky to the touch when wet, but smooth when dried. Clay is the densest and heaviest type of soil that does not drain well or provides space for plant roots to flourish.
 After reading about how hard it is to grow anything in clay soil, Xinya became curious about how the NPC had solved that particular problem. Scrolling down, he continued reading all the entries.
He uncovered a lot about the NPC who owned the farm before him. He learned that the NPC had big dreams of making money with his wife, but even after fixing the clay soil problem, the quality of the produce he grew was terrible. 
The farm started to hemorrhage money; the more coins they put into it, the less they got in return. Their marriage suffered because of it, but one day the NPC had an idea.
He was going to use the little bit of money he had left and would turn this farm of his to a vineyard to make and sell wine. At first, this idea failed as well, because no matter what he did, his wines never tasted right. 
Not wanting to give up, the NPC planted some seeds that a friend gave him along with some other fruit and created a new wine. But it was also a failure, knowing that nobody would want to buy it; he poured it into his fertilizer. 
In his own words, he did it because, in his mind, that was where shit belongs. 
While using that same fertilizer, which he poured the wine in on his plants, he saw something amazing happened. The plants that he used that exact fertilizer on quality became magnificent to the point that the market he was selling them to was begging him to let them buy.
Seeing how exceptional the fertilizer he created was, the NPC begins using that mixture on all of his plants. The produce he grew became so famous among the populace that all the stores only wanted to buy from his farm. 
Reading up to that point, Xinya realized that the NPC must have created a special fertilizer with the wine he made. He hoped that the NPC left the recipe for it somewhere, but as he scrolled down to the last entry of the journal, he was disappointed.
 25th day of Spring, ZhouXia Dynasty year 26.
Dearest Journal,
I have finally kept my promise to my sweet Ling, we are living the lives we dreamt of. Unfortunately, we have received a lot of hate from the other farm owners.
Only my close friend and neighbor are still civil with us, but lately, even he has been giving me the evil eye. Especially when I denied him the right to know the secret of my success.
Although I don't mind sharing it with my friend, my wife asked me to wait until we saved up enough capital to do so. I also believe that would be the best course of action.
I think winter would be long enough, and I can give him the recipe as a New Year gift. Until then, the formula will stay locked up tight in my brain.
As Xinya read the last word of the entry, a familiar ding sounded:
[Quest Created]


My new account is MaoMii

Check out my new books there!



Book 1: 07/30/2019-06/29/2020 Completed

Book 1.5 (Dropped)


Yin Xinya's death was such a cosmic joke that he got a second chance to do it again.

In the past, his life and death was a tragic mess, but he swears this time everything will change. Watch as Xinya becomes the most coveted person in Haven Online.


"Why are you learning cooking? It's just a waste of a skill point."

"Your learning potions?! Are you daft there no point in doing that."

"Why did you pick that trash class? You will never make it in this game."

Xinya just ignored everyone, with a knowing smile he just paid them no mind because he knew they would be eating their words soon.

*****

It was almost the last day at the end of the first month of the new year.

In the house where Eden, the kids, and her dogs are staying in, they kept staying inside quiet and didn't get out of the house at all, except for buying more food and water for themselves.

But it was surprising that none of the people in the safe-zone had noticed this change and the kind of behavior that is unusual and strange to them.

However, Eden knew that the people living and staying inside the safe-zone have grown naive in their beliefs that the place is safe and secure for them from the threats and dangers outside the walls of the zombie apocalypse.

It was fortunate for the well-prepared survivalist that nobody else had noticed the unusual occurrences happening among her and the others for she is preparing the hasty plans she made to leave the place along with her companions. Even Erik still did not know about it as he was blinded with the safe security in the safe-zone.

As Eden had managed to find a truck vehicle, sturdy and good for traveling, and had hidden it somewhere, she also managed to find out where the weapons are and had grabbed her confiscated weapons from before and others that she could be able to grab and carry along with on the journey once they left the place.

She hid the vehicle and the weapons load very well so that no one would be able to see, notice or find it at all from them.

It was the late time of night again that Eden was watching her kids quietly as they are sleeping along with the sleeping dogs that are beside them next to the beds.

Then she quietly moved to peek and look out the windows of the house to see outside if there might be anyone watching them or something, but she found out after a silent moment later that there is nothing.

Eden relaxed slightly before she sat down on a chair, reached for her hidden journal and then went on to write another entry, but this time she won't be tearing the pages out as she seems to look like that it's time to stop hiding it since they'll be leaving soon. And so, Eden wrote the new entry into her journal.

*****

JOURNAL ENTRY: DAY UNKNOWN, 1ST MONTH JANUARY, YEAR 2XXX

Hey, it's Eden again.

It's almost the last days at the end of this month of this new year, and it's almost time for me, the kids and my dogs to leave this so-called safe place.

I managed to prepare and grab whatever I could for our journey and travels beyond and far away from this place.

Hopefully, it will last long enough until I somehow manage to find another safe place which is better than this one.

So far nobody else in this place known as the safe-zone had noticed the change in strange behavior I or the kids have been making. But I instantly knew that all of the people living here have become blind and naive with the safety and security of this place.

It was fortunate for me and the children that with their blind naivety, it might be easier to leave without them noticing it until it's too late.

And here's hoping that they won't chase after us and try to bring us back, which I'm pretty sure that I won't hesitate to prevent them from forcing us back if they try it.

I made sure I positioned the truck vehicle I had procured and hidden it out of sight, near the main gates of this place so that we just need to leave quickly at the right time when it comes, pack up and then ride on it and leave far away from the place.

And when I managed to grab for my weapons and others more from the place they had confiscated and put there, I hid them also away from sight and already in packed bags to be carried easily along with other stuff once we leave.

The only thing that matters now is the timing of the right date and time on when we will leave the place.

I knew that it has to be the time when something might keep all the people distracted and away from us, like some festival events or something. So until that kind of moment comes, we will just have to wait patiently until it's the right time to leave.

As for Erik, as I said before, good riddance anyway.

Even if he knew that me, the kids and dogs will leave soon, I'm not going to let him come along.

I really thought that he was a good person to me and the kids, to begin with, but I should've known better and wished that I hadn't rescued him long ago back in the former place we had lived in Z-city and then left that place.

For now, I will have to wait. As patiently as I can, and make sure that I and the kids do not give out any signs or clues to the people living in the safe-zone that they might figure out that we're going to leave the place.

Anyway, until the next time I write another entry in this journal, we will already be gone and far away from this place.

Also, this time I won't be tearing these pages out and hide them away. I had a feeling to myself that I don't need to since we're going to leave, so this new entry I'm writing on won't be torn out of the journal.

Until the next time again, this is Eden signing off.

*****

Eden finished writing the entry, and she didn't need to tear out the pages from the journal because of the finished planned preparations and hasty departures already done and ready for her and her companions to leave the so-called safe place.

She hid the journal away as she quietly peeked out to see if anyone that is guarding the main gates of the safe-zone had noticed the truck she had hidden out of sight from them and positioned near the gates, that is going to be used as their vehicle to leave and travel far away out of there.

So far, she saw with her acute senses that they didn't notice anything out of place and it relieved her as she backed away from the window and then sat down to mentally preparing herself when the right time comes for them to leave.

*****

*****

I am alone.
In a Zombie Apocalypse.
I'm on a self-journey to find more survivors or trying to find a safe place.
Or I'm just living through it and surviving all by myself.
Listen to my story.
Listen or read about my survival.
It is all here in my SURVIVOR'S JOURNAL

*****

A lone survivor.
Since the beginning of the Apocalypse.
She survives through a hellish fallen world.
With nothing but her wits and a few skills that she has from her former normal life and learned throughout the apocalypse.
Listen to her tale.
Listen to what she has gone through in her survival through everything and how she managed to stay alive.
Listen or Read her SURVIVOR'S JOURNAL.

*****

"How long have you been alone?"

"Since the very beginning."

"How did you survive by yourself?"

"Nothing.  Nothing but with just my wits and a few skills and smarts that I have learned throughout everything."

"I'm surprised you're even sane and alive for so long and being alone."

"Oh, I'm not alone.  I have my journal."

*****
(Author's Note: This is a fictional story.  It is not based in real life at all.)

They were able to get on the last plane but the boys had to stay behind and wait for the next plane to come since there were 8 of them and only 4 spots left. So you could say it was a win-win. Perrie is able to see Jade, Jesy is able to cuddle with Leigh-Anne, Alex is able to admire Jed from a seat away, and Andre is able to rest his head on Chris's shoulder. This is such a scene but they don't care because they are happy Perrie was the new girl.

Perrie is like a ray of sunshine. She may have her downs, but with downs, she has ups and when she is around. Those memories are the best to have.

"Babe? Why are you always writing in that little journal?" Perrie says as she walks over to sit in her lap.

"Are you trying to be like Zayn and remember the good memories?"

"No, I just like writing about you," Jade says putting the journal away.

"But I want to read what is being writing in that journal. You've been writing in it for the past three years." Perrie says as Jade smiles.

"and I'll keep writing in it because you are literally a story that is always needing to be written. I can't wait to show this to my future kids." Jade says as she looks at the engagement ring on Perrie.

"Oh no. Don't tell I'm the one who is going to carry them." Perrie says. 

"Who's says we're making babies. I never said that. I want my kids to be adopted, Perrie. Just like Alex and Jed's. What was his name again?" Jade says as she looks up at Perrie.

"His name is Hiro. Remember that babe." Perrie says as she kisses Jade before getting off and going to their bed to rest.

Jade looks at the bed before writing in another sentence in the journal.

"Kids, Perrie is the sun to me. So I will always call her Sunshine and so will you, Mabel and Carlos." Jade signs the journal before locking it and putting it in her bag before going to sleep with Perrie.

Coming to you, the ‘Saudade Sua’ Series.

The next day, the twins approached her with a usual request.  "Aunty, can we meet Mommy and Daddy?"
"Yeah, I dreamed of them last night!  Let's watch them!  I wanna see them, Aunty."
It was a Saturday.  Kang Sola spent the whole morning with the twins.  She fed the television with the recordings which her second brother, Chen Linyun, and his wife, Xue Jinxu had chronicled during the latter's pregnancy.
"Your parents might not be here, but it doesn't mean that they cease to exist."
"Hmmm…"  The two kids murmured their agreement while eating their steamed buns, their eyes glued to the moving projections of their mother and father on the screen.  It was like magical time-travel for the twins to the time when they were still inside their mother's womb.
"Your parents waited for your arrival.  They were so excited…"  Kang Sola sighed, unable to continue.  She stroked the heads of these adorable twins.  If she continued to speak, tears might just flow out of her eyes.  She didn't want the kids to see her pathetically cry over their great loss.  Instead, she took great efforts in maintaining a gentle smile on her face as she watched her niece and nephew reconnect with their parents through technology.
The adults had waited for them to grow up a bit before they briefly explained what happened to their parents.  And so, when the twins turned six years old, they gradually opened up the truth to them.  But not all.  Vaguely, they implied about their deaths, and what happened in a way that will not traumatize the twins.  They also left out the small detail of their father's older brother's contribution to his untimely death.  No one in the household had even mentioned the older brother before.
Certainly not her.  She used to like that older brother because he had been protecting her since she was a little girl.  However, when she was eighteen, she discovered the truth which turned her world upside down.  She discovered that there's despicable villain blood running through her veins and that same older brother that she used to like turned out to be an evil person who could hurt his own brother.
Just thinking about him was enough to make her tremble with despair.  'How could a person be so evil?'
One Saturday when she was supervising how the maids clean the master's bedroom, she found a journal which her late sister-in-law had kept.  It was the journal of her pregnancy.  It had a note handwritten at the cover:  'To my twins'.
When they had told the twins about their parents, she had read some of the entries of the journal of them for the first time.  The twins cried when they heard the explanation about their biological parents, and surprisingly, when she had read the journal to them, it calmed them and helped them to sleep.  Since then, the journal replaced the kids' stories that they used to narrate to them before bedtime.
Since then, too, the twins had been asking whenever possible to re-watch the recordings their parents captured and left behind.
She looked after the twins as they attentively munched on their steamed buns. She sat with them on the couch and stroked their heads caringly. Whenever at home, as much as possible, she spent most of her free time with them.  It meant that the nannies could have their days off.
She wore a contented smile on her face.  She was reminded of her life's planned timeline during her teens.  She thought that by the time she reached twenty-five, she would have become an established news anchor in South Korea.
That was her plan – to go back to her mother country, South Korea, once she completed her studies under her scholarship grant.
However, life intended other things for her.
At sixteen, she did not know about having siblings.  She went to China only to search for her father.
Yes, along the way she had discovered that she had two older brothers, the older one she had known for a long time, and the second older one she knew for just months.
Now, she that had finally met them, her identity should have been well-defined.  It should have made her complete.
However, she wasn't proud of her father nor her older brother's ways. 
The discovery of her identity left her rather shaken.  All she ever wanted was to know where she came from – who her parents where.
Now, the world mocks her as a convict's daughter.  Bad blood ran through her veins.
But, because her second older brother had been good, her hope wasn't completely washed off.
As she watched the twins get much more enthralled by the recording of their parents – her second brother and his lovely, feisty wife, she wished that those kids would not be inclined towards evil.  She hoped for them not to discover the dark past around their father's death, and she prayed that they would never waver and stray from the righteous path.
She had the same prayer for herself.
On Monday morning, Kang Sola's schedule had freed up so she decided to drop the kids to school.  Xiao Lihua and Xiao Lingtian were in the first grade now, and even if they were homeschooled in their tender years until that year, the family decided that it would be better for them to attend normal school to mingle with other kids and make friends.
It was their first year to attend a normal school, and so far, or as far as she knew, the kids were loving it.
"Seize the day, my darlings!"  Kang Sola both blessed each twin with a peck on their soft, warm cheek. 
"Bye, Aunty."  Xiao Lingtian waved his chubby paw up in the air energetically.
"Love you, Aunty. Mwah."  The little girl, Xiao Lihua threw an adorable flying kiss on her direction.  She pretended to catch it and encage it in her heart.
"Hahaha. Cute."
The two turned around and walked hand-in-hand with their red backpacks protruding on their backs as they went.
Before she could return to where her car was parked, a teacher approached her.  "Excuse me, Miss Kang.  Good morning."
"Good day!"  She retorted with glee.  Her aura was like the sunlight which brings energy to whatever it touches.  "What can I do for you, Teacher?"

Story of best friends, Kang Sola and Xue Guangxi, as they traverse their journey through adulthood, amidst conflicting choices and internal issues within themselves and from their past.

Will they be able to resolve their personal struggles and find a common ground towards happiness? Will they have to compromise to achieve it?

Will they end up together and overcome the threshold of their friendship into lovers or remain as platonic friends and each other's family?

----
She balled her fists, getting ready to punch the man in the face if the situation requires. They are, after all, alone in the room.

Sometimes she forgets that Xue Guangxi was of the opposite gender – a man more than capable of beguiling innocent women when he sets his mind to the task.

‘Perhaps he had been gone for too long that I had forgotten how his charms work. That fact never left my head, but experiencing it firsthand… Well, Nah!!!’ She tried to shake whatever silliness her mind entertains despite her prudence.

But what her neutral poker face could hide, her berserkly widened eyes could not conceal.

Nevertheless, even if he noticed, the young man did not point it out. He was more concerned and occupied by other matters.

Matters of far greater importance…

…For example, her safety.

She blinked several times, trying to disrupt the connection their locked gazes somehow managed to forge. She bowed her head, still blinking, and darted her lowered gaze to the floor. She straightened up her sitting position and swatted both of the man’s hands on her shoulders without force.
But Xue Guangxi held her in place. 

“Look at me.”

“What is it now, Guangxi?” She whispered. Her voice, thin and fragile and barely audible. Perhaps more from the earlier adrenaline pushed a blush on her face.
Perhaps, it wasn’t the adrenaline to be blamed.

She tried to swat his hands for the second time, but his grip only tightened, making his point more pronounced. 

Either he obeys or she does.

Most of the time, Xue Guangxi always gave in to Kang Sola’s whims. Even when his temper wasn’t too great to be proud of, at the end of every argument, he lets the girl win.

But in this instance, he wanted to be more assertive.

“You always make me worry, Sola.” He breathed with all solemnity, like a prayer. The clasp of his hands on her shoulders tightened. She could feel it. She winced.

Then, without further ceremony or introduction, he pressed her into a tight embrace, full of concern.

Any person would be able to discern if a form of skinship was of sincere nature or not.

Kang Sola could tell his was of genuine care and concern for her.

“You are far more delicate than you think. God, Sola!” He cradled her head with his right hand placed just above her nape. Some of her balayage locks laced his manly fingers.

----

Other Info: Light story about friendship, family, love, and adulting. No offensive, dark themes (just the backstory, hehe), 

**Can be considered the second book after Milady's Fine Gentleman, but the story is stand-alone. Reference to the first novel is minimal if not only shown in the backstory. BUT THERE WILL BE SPOILER FOR MILADY'S FINE GENTLEMAN (It's inevitable, sorry)**

"You are my sun, my moon, and all of my stars" -E.E. Cummings

"Just like the moon, I go through phases." -Angie Weiland Crosby

"Only in the darkness can you see the stars." -Martin Luther King Jr.


-----
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Disclaimer : Cover credits to Pinterest

I step through Ms. Smith's door into my Language Arts class and make eye contact with Wally right off the bat. His glasses reflect the hazy sunlight from the window, surprisingly clean. But they don't beam quite as much as his monkey smile. And it's very contagious.
"Hey," I whisper as I set my supplies down on our table. "How's it going?"
"It's going, it's going..." Wally pulls at a few of his dark brown curls and sighs, raising an eyebrow at me. "Damn, girl, seems like your hair gets shorter each time I see you. Did you cut it again?"
I look at him quizzically. Sometimes he just makes no sense. "The last time I got it cut was two weeks ago. Is it weird?"
"Nah, es bueno." He frowns, but his mouth quickly forms into an amused grin. "Looks like you're tryna copy Keenan P a little."
"What?" I almost recoil from him. Keenan Perish is in the top league of jocks at South Canyon High, right next to Marcus Porter, Jason Scott, Damien Lycroft, blah blah blah. He's supposedly one of the guys that my team captain got her hands on behind Marcus' back, so hearing Wally compare me to him in any way, shape, or form almost makes me laugh. "Never say that again."
"What?" he protests. "The dude's hot!"
"Yeah?" I adjust the angle of my chair. "Glad you think so."
He shrugs, pulling a potato chip from somewhere in his backpack. "So, how've things been on your end?"
 I sigh and space out at the ceiling. I haven't told him that I'm scheduled to leave this place at the end of November - I mean, I just found out yesterday. Maybe I should've called him or something, but I didn't see the need. Will didn't take the news well, and I think I just didn't want to have to share it with any other guy whose name started with 'W' until I needed to. "It's cool." I lower my head. "Did you finish the prompt?"
"From last night?" He scoffs, grabbing another few potato chips and begins to rummage around in his bag. His Spanish accent intensifies, as it does when he's distracted. "Fuck no, Carmen! 'Do great men make history, or does history make great men?' Ms. Smith gives the most whack prompts in this class. Bet the next one'll be about the meaning of love, or climate change, or something."
I squint at him, restraining laughter. "Because those are so similar." It's odd to me that Wally doesn't care about this class, but he still writes very intelligently and formally on his homework assignments, even when he speaks so casually otherwise. "You know, I think they're supposed to be meaningful."
"Ah, well." He waves his hand, creating a current of air that blows our papers an inch or two above the table before they can settle down. Seeing it cracks him up. "I prefer to let the meaning of things find me, not the other way around. Don't gotta think as hard. Last night, I just flipped a coin and it landed on heads, so I said that history makes great men."
I blink against the dissonance that creates in my brain. "Did you reverse it?"
"Huh?"
"You said that heads on the coin translated to 'history makes great men,'" I explain, "but that was the second option, and heads is usually listed before tails, so it seems like you should've picked the other one-"
"Cállte, cállate," he whines, shaking his head. "I dunno what I even put. What'd you write, eh? You think you're so smart?"
He's smiling at me, but my wall still goes up. "I never said that. I have a C in this class."
"Yeah, the only A you got is in Chemistry," he recalls. "Which is a little funny, 'cause if you know so much about it, you'd think you'd've landed someone by now." He immediately bursts out giggling at his own joke.
"Ha-ha," I mutter, glaring at him as he laughs. "I just said both. Couldn't decide. I only elaborated a little before I turned out the light."
"And THAT, mi hermana," he says, ruffling my hair, "is why you've got a C. Too indecisive."
"Didn't you have something important to tell me?" I ask as I steer my head out from under his hand.
Wally stifles a yawn. "I need to explain, so I'll tell you in a bit. The teach's about to yell at all of us."
My eyes flicker to the lady sitting at the teacher's desk. She's looking a bit more like a Karen than usual - the haircut, tight expression, and artificially-tanned white skin are the same, but today she has acrylics on. "Really?"
"Yep," Wally mutters, staring at her intently. "Cinco... cuatro... tres... dos... y... uno." He points two fingers at her below the table so only I can see.
And then, like he's pressed a button, she stands up. "Happy Tuesday, everyone!"
I'm a little dumbfounded by Wally's accuracy. But I guess no one else has been expecting anything, because nothing about the classroom environment changes.
Ms. Smith stands with her arms folded for about ten seconds, scanning her students, until she finally takes a step toward us. "ENOUGH talking!"
The room falls silent.
"Hopefully, you all wrote a three-paragraph response to your prompt last night," she says calmly, literally looking at Wally. He doesn't flinch. "Today, to get more of those creative, high schooler juices flowing in your brains, we will be reflecting on a question I'm sure all of you have asked: 'What does love mean to me?'"
I wince quietly as the whole rest of the class groans. Wally slaps two hands on the table.
"Mr. Nicogerez, I'm afraid I don't see your problem here," Ms. Smith snaps.
Wally fixes his posture. "I got a stomach ache, Ms. S," he fibs.
"Maybe if you didn't eat those potato chips each day like you do, you wouldn't be having that issue."
My gut twists on Wally's behalf. He just shrugs again, but then his mask of casual indifference gets broken by a smirk. "What can I say? I'm a string bean. Gotta eat what I can to bulk up for those pretty muchachas around, you know?"
Giggles sprout around the room - even from the silent girl at our table - and I can't help but join in. If anyone else talked back to Ms. Smith like Wally does, the class would get pissed off at the time being wasted (because we don't get free minutes to waste - Ms. Smith will keep us after the bell). A guy named Michael tried it once and it absolutely backfired.
"Pero, chicos delgados son muy guapos," chimes in a girl from the back of the class. "No hay que temer."
Wally's eyes blow up and he spins around in his seat. And I'm stunned -  because that girl said that skinny guys are very attractive, and that there's no need to fear in front of the whole class, and many of us know Spanish. I wish I were fully fluent.
Wally looks at Ms. Smith and points behind him with an expression saying, Would you look at that?
"I don't know what Abigail just said," Ms. Smith admits, "but it sounds like it was a compliment, so good on you." She actually smiles. I guess no one can stay mad at Wally for very long. "Anyway, class, that's your prompt. I'll project it, and give you fifteen minutes to write and reflect. Talk with your table partners. Then we'll move on."
We give a collective 'Okay', and she projects 'WHAT DOES LOVE MEAN TO ME?' on the whiteboard.
I'm stuck staring at Wally as the class blows up into its default wall of sound once more. "Dude, I think Abigail likes you."
"Mm-mm," he says, eyes on his journal.
I furrow my eyebrows. "Why?"
"'Cause she don't look at me," he starts, "the way you look out the window, or at a table, or whatever you look at when you natter off about your team captain."
My face heats up. That's not fair. I open my mouth to protest-
"'She's so fast on the soccer field,'" he mocks, tossing his voice up into a whole other octave - even though my voice isn't that high. "'She constantly scores on me.' 'She winked at me twice today, and I almost died. Hate it when straight girls do that.' 'She's got this stupid side-smile that makes me want to melt into the floor.' 'She twirls her hair between her fingers when she thinks about stuff.' 'She's the fastest one on the team' - or was it the strongest one?" he asks, voice returning to normal. "I can't remember which."
He pushes my shoulder, catching me off guard so I can't shut him up.
"'Ooh, her skin's so smooth, and she's tan - but she's got freckles. And her eyes are so great. They stare straight into you.' 'I've gotta point her out to you, Wally.' 'Gotta point her out.' 'Swear I will.' 'I'll point her out when she passes.' 'Swear I'll do it.'
He's hitting me repeatedly now, making me tense. I lock my fingers around his wrists to save myself from more blows, squeezing hard. "Jesus Christ, Wally, if you don't shut up, I'm going to shove your journal down your throat to do it for you."
"Oh, don't I know it," he chuckles, shaking his wrists out.
My heart is pounding in my ears. Okay, that was kind of a strong reaction. But how did he get all of those words to throw at me? "When did you even hear me say that?"
"Over time," he replies. "But especially on your second week on the team. You were all woozy and shit from getting a tooth pulled, but you still answered when I called. I got a whole lotta info from you that day."
"Oh." I lean back in my chair, chastising myself for letting myself get it this bad for someone. She's the worst one yet, and the one I've spoken to the least. "I'm an idiot."
"I still wanna see her," he complains.
"So what?" I ask quietly. "Neither of us have any classes with her. I wasn't lying when I said I'd point her out when we saw her."
He nods, pushing his tongue into his cheek. A couple of birds cast speeding shadows over the floor of the classroom. "I believe you, you creepy stalker. Anyhoo, this looove prompt plus all your Jay-this-and-that nattering gives me a great segue."
I cock my head at him. "Excuse me?"

Story not present at this moment - if you have spent any time reading what was previously published though, and are willing and able, I would be very grateful if you were to look at the chapter currently up, since I owe people an apology. Thank you
**will not receive any further updates



"We need to save them, C. That man is using those kids for his twisted desire. He is like that evil witches in fairy tales that girls are so fond of." 

"But how? He kidnapped us, D. He betrayed us." 

"I know." 

"....." 

"Hey, C?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Our families will come for us, right?" 

"If he only wants money, then they will." 

"Then we will save them." 

"We will." 

------------------ 

Opening the journal was tempting, but it would mean breaking my best friends' trust with me. 

As they sleep deeply, I stare at the starry night sky. 

Whether I like it or not, there are a lot of things missings. Ironically, it wasn't evidences. 

Dad always asked me of my queries, as he said that I have an eye for seeing something everyone always overlooked. Renz said the same too. 

I have an eye seeing something that no one bothered to try to look to, and when I actually needed it, that's when it was turned off. 

There are a lot of secrets, like they are protecting something. It is pretty much obvious with Simon. He wants us to be out of the loop. 

I can literally feel his protectiveness, so I understand why. Doesn't makes me feel better, though. 

Another is that abandoned house, that strangely, Simon didn't know. 

I also remembered that Simon was the last to join this ideal team, which might held more importance than anyone can think of. Also a replacement, which I wonder who. 

So far, the confirmed kids are Franz, Renz, Simon and his friend, and the daughter, Sophia. 

Another thing was the name of the man behind all this and his purpose. 

An ideal spy team, sure. But for what? To take over the world like any typical tyrant in the TV? 

He has means to do what he wants, and he is surely an ambitious and excellent man if he even used the brainwashing and conditioning process. He is also a manipulator, so reading people might be normal to him. 

He wants something, because as I hacked the FBI database, thank you Renz for teaching me to hack despite not being able to hack your cases, the man, which name is anonymous again, had escaped two years after imprisonment. 

He can get the surviving kids of whatever experiment he did and mission he has whenever he likes without alerting someone. I even think he purposefully let the authorities know that there is someone texting Renz. 

It's like we are walking into a trap. 

What does he wants? Why now? 

It's like he is a god who is playing everyone's strings while we all suffer with the consequences of our actions. 

Renz's journal entries seems weird to me, too. It feels like he is controlling himself to tell everything, maybe scared that someone will read it, like what we just did, despite the journal as a means for his recovery. Also the way he writes, he's implying something. 

The first entry was uneventful compared to the second one. Maybe that's when he was givem the journal. 

Agent Khan is right, people who knew should speak, because these secrets being revealed might had put a light in this case, giving a clearer view. 

I really, really want to know everything then find and help Renz. 

I am even willing to strike a deal with Renz to make sure he is alright. 

And I am getting sleepy. I should really take a sleep. 

What really happens to you when you were abducted, Renz? 

----------------------- 

Project Perseus - Open 

Note: Project Vulpecula will join this ideal team for the mean time, together with Project Anser. 

Codenames of Agents: 

Mirfak - leader 

Algol - strategist 

Gorgonea - strength, recon, fighter 

Miram - seducer, infiltrator 

Misam - chimera, infiltrator 

Menkib (Project Vulpecula) - classified 

Atik (Project Anser) - classified

“No one can escape reality, not even me.” - C. L. Gutierrez

Clarence Leigh Gutierrez is an otherworldly being you cannot believe actually exists in real life. Call him everything - genius, prodigy, talented, not to include his looks and natural talent of both academics and sports when they were still in school - and he is that. Tell him something to do, and he will surely exceed your expectations.

But Charlotte knew better.

Join Charlotte Leia Aguilar read the forbidden journal of the man who already became a part of her family, where the words of the missing prodigy unveil the reality behind the pretentious genius - the years of his recovery after the captivity of one crazy clown who kidnapped and formed an ideal team of geniuses all over the world and how, despite all these years, still hung up on the psycho - who is dangerous and safety at the same time - and find him with others desperately despite the painful picture it provides the more she got closer to Renz’s story.

Secrets were revealed, revelations that no one but the people involved only knew about are now out. A dark and twisted past of a cold genius is catching up on him, and everyone is sure no one will be left unscathed.

"Who actually is you, Clarence Leigh Gutierrez?"

The Forbidden Journal. [ This would be in the rewriting process since June 2021/ ]

After a generally exhausting trip and a couple of talks with the passengers on the train, I had advanced towards Washington. I searched for a hotel to stay, and at this point, I had understood that I was being followed, I went to a dim corner, so I could catch the people who were following me. To my astonishment instead of seeing a lot of grownups, I saw a lot of children with ragged clothes, and it had seemed as though they were beaten up. Yet, I had felt no remorse, since I had experienced childhood in a poisonous situation, and that gave me a high pain tolerance since as young as five.
The children moved toward me with a look of dread and pity in their eyes; it had seemed as though they had developed in a similar toxic environment as me. Still, the difference between them and me was that they showed trust in their faces imagining that things would get better, well when I was a kid I had no such desires since I've realized that on the off chance that I had them, they would wind up letting me down. Everyone had consistently let me down, making me have no desires any longer. 
Seeing their faces, I let my guard down. The youngsters assaulted me with full strength, I was astounded by how fast and robust they moved, they were stronger than a large portion of the agents, I still injured them even though they were just children. I made it to a point to not give them any severe wounds considering they were kids and offered farewell. I reported to my superiors about this occurrence before entering the hotel.
To discover who were the kids that assaulted me, I skipped lunch; there were two of them; the older kid was female with long dark hair called Kuroo. The other kid was male with light colored hair called Tsukki, they were both athletic and could evade a some of my attacks, after finding these snippets of data I went down to have supper, I recorded down all the things that occurred in my journal. 
(This content beneath is what is written in the Journal) 
January 1, 1985 
I was shipped to a train station and purchased a train pass to Washington. After showing up in Washington I looked for a hotel, but rather got assaulted by two small kids. 
(End of what was written in Journal) 
I recorded this in my Journal and tried to rest. 
(This content beneath is seen by the two children Kuroo and Tsukki's perspective) 
Tsukki and Kuroo sneaked in to Valerie Bree's inn to hijack her according to their manager's requests 
Kuroo: "Hey this is the young woman that beat us up a little while ago right" 
Tsukki: "Yeah she's the one, we'll take her to the Boss as planned. Be careful not to make any sounds, considering she figured out our weaknesses, you should not treat her as your average opponent." 
Kuroo: "Yeah, yeah I got it."
(End of Kuroo and Tsukki's perspective)

This chapter was edited by AXOSFK on discord

Dear kids you start out just as you are with everything you are then …all of sudden...something changes... people start to turn into monsters and you even find yourself turning into a  monster. I was reading my personal journal aloud for the class to hear. I was shaking inside but i kept reading from my journal. 'Is he done yet!'. The kids in my class began to record me on their phones and the teacher was on her phone as well. The laughter grew louder and louder and so did the beating of my heart. One girl to the far left end of the room next to the ac was the only one truly listening. I think her name was Diana …yeah Diana. I closed my journal and finally ended my speech.
 About time!! Jackson was a kid from Chicago who should really be in jail by now because he took a teachers car and drove it to Florida to his ex girlfriends house aka his baby momma. Jackson tripped me up so hard  on the way back to my seat that I slashed  a huge scar in my leg. 'Don't look at me like that bitch!!" Diana witnessed this on a day to day bases. We suffered silently and believed in dreams that were to far from real. Jackson was up next to give a speech about his favorite basketball team and how they really should have won last season.  The class loved it when he spoke and even clapped for him when he got finished. I think they feel sorry for him because his mom and dad adopted him when he was just 3 years old and I see why they adopted him. All he does is cheat on test and flirt with girls who don't even care about him. Every girl he dated only used him for his Instagram followers. Class was finally over and we were off.

I hurriedly went back to my house, opening the house door with the spare key i was given by my mom, running across the living room to the upstairs as feel my body wear out from the side effects of the fever. Though, i managed to get upstairs and locked the door to my room as i feel my heavy breathing stabilize. I slumped to the bed with the journal in hand and with my bagged already put on my desk. I feel my head throbbing and the lack of the A.C in my room made my body sweat a little
Took me a while before i could even get up and take a shower, I hurriedly went back to my room, head wet from the amount of scrubbing i did on it and new, fragrant clothes on me. 'Alright, time to de-code' i then pulled out the journal, containing many different codes and numbers as i opened my laptop.
I slowly opened the journal, a pen and highlighter in hand as i went on to underline every potential code in it. My eyes jolting on every page as i try to underline and find every code in this 60 page journal.
-
I looked over to the window and see a car pulling up on our driveway, as i realized also that the sun was going down and that my hands were cramping up as i looked over to see the time, '6:03 P.M' was written on the bottom screen of my laptop as i hear the doors open.
"Hun? You in here?" My mom screamed as i closed the laptop and put the journal away, as i feel my hands cramping horribly and my back aching after 3 hours of work on this. My mouth felt dry and my stomach grumbled, from the fact that i didn't eat or drink this whole time.
I hurriedly put the journal back into my bag as i felt the pain throughout my whole body hit me, a slew of fatigue from the adrenaline drive i just had with underlining the whole entire journal. The side-effect of not having slept for half the night is also getting to me
I lazily walked downstairs; my body showing that it needed rest but it also needed water and food, to my mom who was preparing dinner as her eyes widened to see her daughter look like a ghost.
"Lene what happened to you? She hurriedly went up to me with her eyes showing concern, something common from her in many years. I leaned onto the wall nearest to me as i sat on the floor, sweat beads forming on my forehead as i looked at her with weak eyes
"I think i'm sick again..sorry i-" I then started to cough violently, feeling my body grow weaker and weaker by the moment as i feel a hand on my head, feeling the cool caressing of my moms hand on my head as she took a thermometer
"You're temperature is so high Eilene.." Her soft voice rang through my ears as the kindle memories go through me once again, feeling nostalgia everywhere as i feel like a kid right now, the warm feeling grew in me as i held onto dear life mentally as i feel like i'm slipping.
"C'mon Eilene, this is no place to sleep on. Lets get you on the couch yeah?" I could only nod with the strength i had in me, leaving the stairs i walked with all of my strength to the couch, i feel the soft material on my skin as i melted into it.
I suddenly feel a cool wet towel be put on my head, feeling it seep into my whole body even if it was meant for one area, relief went throughout my whole body. I heard my mom's grumbles as she takes a mug of water and medicine for me to ingest as i feel pain throughout my whole body.
"Mom i have work to do-" Another fit of cough came onto my body as i feel everything wince. I cried out a little as tears start to form in my eyes, feeling tired and in pain from my eyes to my legs. Especially my legs from all the walking i did.
"Lene, water and medicine. C'mon" my mom said as i took the mug with my left hand and the medicine on the other with the weakest hands as i almost dropped them the moment she handed it to me.
I could hear her sigh as she manually had to make me drink it with he own hands, making me feel so grateful at that moment to have her around. The atmosphere around me feeling as if i'm 9 again.
'Under the dark blue sky, i see the moon shining brightly with fireworks lighting it off from the distance. My hand on my dads as he began to walk me around the path in the parks as i see other children playing with sparklers on their hands, running around with the other kids.
"Dad, wheres mom? Isn't she supposed to come here with us today?" I asked as he took a deep breath, and let out an exhale before looking at me with those dark brown eyes that i could see from the moonlight, it looked beautiful
"Mommy will be here soon, why don't you want to play with the other kids over there?" He then pointed out at the several kids who were playing with poppers and sparklers all around, their laughs ringing in my ears as i frowned.
"They..said they don't like me because i look so black...Like chocolate" I said, my voice a little hushed as i looked over to my dad whose eyes softened on me. He then lifted me up, his goofy big smile as happy as ever, and said
"Well, then if you're chocolate. Then you're also sweet y'know that?" He then twirled me around as i laughed from his comment. I felt myself smile, forgetting about the insults that were given to me at school, forgetting about the celebrations
This moment was the peak of it all for me'
-
I then woke up,  my eyes fluttering as i tried to get a sense of reality. I looked over to see the T.V on as the food plate that was left on my bedside was still there. I sat up with all of my strength to see my mom sleeping on the other couch.
'Guess she stayed here after all' I thought to myself as i stood up with the energy filling me up from the medicine i took. I sighed, reminding myself to thank my mom for helping me with my sickness as i took a quick peck on her forehead and covered her with a blanket so she doesn't get cold
I then took another shower, to cleanse me from that sweating session that i went through and ate the food that was left alone before. 'Guess she planned to feed me before i slept..' i though to myself as i softly smiled at her, remembering that this has been the first time since they bonded.
For once, we acted like they used to be, which made me happy.
I then went on to turn off the T.V and closed the lights, as i checked every locked door and silently went upstairs to go prepare my books and sleep in my own bed. As i hurriedly close the door to my room i looked around to see that it all looked like it was in shambles. The bed covers were messy and my desk was no better, highlighters and pencils were thrown everywhere with the journal wide open.
I sighed, preparing to be busy for another cleaning session.
-
I looked at the now clean room, satisfied with what i've done to do this as i sit down on my chair, finally taking a breather from everything. I looked over to the clock that was above the doorway that says '10:30' in it as i sighed, remembering i have school tomorrow
'Don't you want to solve one code?' A small voice interrupted as i was about to lay on my bed, i then looked at the journal that was still wide open. Remembering that i highlighted all of this for the reasons of trying to find out what it meant in the first place
'Maybe the code you solve might leave you to give clues as to what happened to her?' the small voice remarked, as i opened my laptop and open the second page of the journal

"Just one code," i said to myself as i dived in into the words and of the journal, looking through each and every code as i try to find one i remotely know. 'Ah, a morse code. I can do this'
-
Took me about several minutes before i could find out what the meaning is, as i had to open the chart for morse coding, as i ask myself how she knew about codes and hidden messages. My eyebrows furrowed as i looked at the finished words, not knowing what it meant as i looked over to the chart in front of me
"This is true..right?" As i looked down at the journal i've scribbled on, i wonder what the sentence even says
'i ekklisía sto drómo tis Márthas'

Lily, an 18 year old committed suicide on May 18th at the start of spring. As Eileen, was given a journal by Lily's mother that contains the words and the thoughts of Lily. As she pieces together what happened to Lily, what will she uncover in this journey?

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Don't Question It

The Forbidden Journal

Travelling Through Time

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As The Lilies Wilt

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