*Earlier that day in the same hospital where the OLAP refugees are staying*
The announcement on the screen chimes out the name "Calling patient - Claire Phoenix, please proceed to window 9"
Claire stood up from her waiting chair, approaching the window. But unfortunately her window was too high for her to fully face it. Regardless, she reached out the discharge papers, then the person on the counter stamped her documents down, but somehow she suddenly stops stamping
"Ms. Phoenix"
"Yes madam?" She says as she tip-toed to reach facing the woman
"I just discovered that you are underaged, we can't let you leave unless someone of age can come with you. Maybe call someone who's old enough to escort you outside of the hospital, because even if I stamped the last paper, the guard won't let you out."
"Oh- Yeah, you're right!" She flattens her foot down, pulling her phone out from her pocket to call Poppy
*A few moments later*
Poppy hops out of the elevator, with a completely smug look on her face "Lemme guess, they didn't let you out because you were too short?~"
"No dicklips, kiosk found out I was 13-"
"13 what? Bananas tall?"
"Shut up!"
Poppy was cackling while walking up to Claire, she finally got her papers stamped, thus returned to her.
While both of them were on their way to the exit, Claire asked "Hey Pops, you mentioned last time that Abby owned a tailor shop"
Poppy leaned close to her "I did? Err… yeah, what about it? Are you on a date with him or something?"
Claire scrambled her hands at Poppy "No, no, it's not that- I mean I wish but, I just wanna get to know him better!"
Poppy's thumb and index finger on her chin "Oh I see, so you really wanna make an effort for him. Okay C~ I see what you're onto~
Welp, first thing's first he's super into fashion, I mean I've seen your fits, but it definitely needs improvement if you wanna impress him, he's into a lot of avant garde." She points at the boots she's wearing. "See this pair of Rick Owens?"
Claire looked down "Why are the laces all over the boots?"
"Exactlyyyyyyyyyy" Poppy slowly nodded "He's into this type of fashion, a lot of fits that are outside the usual comfort zone"
Claire, finger on her chin asks "What about some sports?"
Poppy shook her head "Dude, he can barely run for five minutes"
"Any shows or anime series he likes?"
Poppy shrugs "I think he only watches animal documentaries"
"What about music? Any genres he likes?"
Poppy hisses while looking to the side "I… think he does his work in silence"
"IS THERE ANYTHING HE LIKES THAT I LIKE?"
She immediately covers Claire's mouth "Hey! Keep your voice down, we don't need any trouble right now" She takes her own hands off of Claire's face "If you really like him you're gonna have to work for it, aight?"
She breathed a sharp sigh "Fiiiiine~ can I atleast get the location of his tailor shop?"
Poppy dredged the question "Though he has been obsessing over this game though - I think it's some sort of pet game? I can't remember"
Claire crosses her arms and rolls her eyes "Ugh, I don't play videogames either. It doesn't matter! If we have nothing in common, I'll find something- dammit! Just gimme his shop location."
"Yeah, yeah~ watevs"
"Hold on a minute there, ma'am. Papers, please." Interrupted- a security guard stepped into their path, blocking the exit. Both girls froze. Poppy recovered first, whisper-shouting, "Claire, the paper!"
"Oh! Right~" She immediately hands out the paper towards the guard, and puts a stamp on it "Yer free to go ma'am" said he as he tips his hat goodbye.
Right before Claire could step outside, she looked back at Poppy asking "aren't you coming, Pops?"
She crosses her arms, as she jerks her thumb pointing back inside "Sorry C, Kremidal needs me for today - say, tell how the date went once you're done, aight?"
Claire, eyebrows pressed together while letting out an awkward smile "Err… yeah sure thing" looking back at her phone, she checks the location link that Poppy sent her, when she opened it, it displayed the image of his shop, only the details outside of course. Nevertheless his shop's signage read "Heavy Garments"
A taxi driver drove through the hospital's roundabout as it dropped off a family of passengers. Claire spots it- rushes to approach the taxi after the passengers stepped out
"Sup dude! Do you know the way to Heavy Garments?"
The driver asks "You mean the tailor shop?"
Claire nodded yes, in response the driver said "Sure, hop in!"
Once she got in and fastened her seat belt, the driver slowly maneuvers out of the roundabout.
As soon as they got out of the hospital, she immediately sunk in her chair. The radio starts blasting loud hindi music, one can hear the faux-engine rumbling the entire car. Still driving, he swerved through the tightest spaces in between traffic, horns blared furiously as they passed by. One can even hear pedestrians scream, and jump out of his way.
Suddenly he was headed to a sharp corner. Claire's voice progressively gets louder "Yo! Yo! Yo! Yo! Yo! Yo! Yo! Yo! Yo! Yo! Yo! Yo!YOOOOOO!" The driver drifted against the curb while Claire was letting out the most guttural screech.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH"
Finally he stops, parallel parking at a sidewalk as the car lightly tips right and drops down again.
Claire tapped her phone on the meter, the beep sounding unnaturally loud in the sudden silence after the engine cut. She stumbled out of the car, her legs shaking violently, and collapsed onto all fours before vomiting onto the pavement.
Everyone else walking on the sidewalk cringed and avoided her. She slowly tries to regain her composure - once she stood up straight she was already actually right in front of his shop.
"Heavy Garments"
The taxi zooms off vanishing from behind, as she continues to walk inside. Looking at the store, it was more akin to a 1950's tailor shop, a stark contrast to the brutalist storefronts neighboring it, they've got brick walls, an elegantly hand-painted store sign, with some neon light tubes wrapped on the edges of the font. The window glass reveals his finest works, high quality suits, desert hoods, robes, and even some shoes; what's bewildering is that they seem to create both dress shoes and sports shoes.
While Claire was walking towards the doorway, she could overhear loud voices within the store. Once they opened the door, a tiny bell chimed in the shop. She spots a tall man, towering over Abby as they argue - the man's face was red with rage as he was wearing khaki pants and a black blazer, and it seems that there is a brown stain on the area of his drawls.
He sternly points at his pants "The fuck am I supposed to do? Walk around the city like I just shit myself?!"
Abby leans in "Sir how about I get you a temporary replacement, I have a preset pants from goodwill-"
Cuts him off mid sentence with an angrier tone "I- don't- need- a- subpar- pair- of trousers! How the the fuck are the shareholders gonna think that me- a multibillion-dollar crypto entreprneur, wears the same shit as these mongrels?!"
"But sir I'm sorry, we are a tailor shop, we're unable to offer cleaning services- there is a laundromat next lane-"
The man snatched Abby by the collar "WHERE THE FUCK IS YOUR MANAGER?!"
"You're talkin' to him dumbass!" Claire shouted right behind the man
"And who the fuck are you supp-" right before he could turn around Claire kicked the back of his knee, forcing him to lose balance. Using the same foot, she kicks the other leg, dropping him to the ground slamming on his side.
He groaned while slumped on his side, Claire squats down peering on the tall man "The name's Claire Phoenix, and this place ain't a laundromat" She jerks her thumb pointing outside "Get the fuck outta my store"
The man struggled to get up while he got his hands on his side and left begrudgingly. The bell on the door finally chimes as they were alone in the shop.
Abby sighs as he softens his posture "Thank you so much, but this isn't your store"
Claire, fists on her hips "I know, I just said that so he can piss off. Did he hurt you or anything?"
"Fortunately no - though, what brings you here?"
"I- err… just- wanted to see you" she says as she leaned both elbows on the counter
"That's really sweet of you- oh! That reminds me, you wanted to go out for coffee right? I'll just finish one job and I can take a noon break- if you got anything you want stitched; I'll handle it."
"Oh I've got a shirt that's got holes on the armpits, but I'm kinda short on-"
"Don't worry bonita, it's on the house"
Clraire's eyebrows shoot up, then her eyes squint as she smiles "You are unusually a lot more smoother than the time we first met!"
"Probably because you were half-naked on a deathbed" He said while prepping his sewing machine "So where's that shirt you want fixed?"
Oh, it's right over—" She patted her sides, her confidence vanishing. Her entire face fell. "Oh my god. I left my bag in the taxi." She looked at Abby frowning like a wet cat "that was every ounce of my clothes"
A faint, sympathetic smile touched Abby's lips. "You know… you could take a gander at the stock in the back. Though, fair warning, most of it might be a bit too… avant garde for your taste."
Claire waved a dismissive hand as she rounded the counter. "Nah, I'm sure it ain't that bad." She pushed open the door behind the counter and froze. Her jaw went slack.
It wasn't a closet. It was an archive. The room soared upward, a vertical canyon of clothing racks that seemed to stretch high enough to stack two NBA players. Garments of every conceivable fabric and silhouette were organized with military precision under the soft glow of track lighting.
Her voice echoed slightly in the vast space. "Holy shit… Abs, what do you even plan on wearing on our date?"
From the other room, his voice was a flustered murmur. "I was, uh, thinking maybe something with a Frutiger Aero palette… And I wouldn't call it a date. This is more of a… a casual hangout."
"Uh huh. Sure, buddy," she called back, her tone dripping with condescending sweetness.
She heard a faint sigh. "Just… keep that between us, alright? I have a reputation to uphold out there. This is just for you and me. Okay?"
The rustle of fabric followed her cheerful shout from inside the archive. "No worries~! M'lips are sealed, bruu!"
*Half an hour later*
A zipper whirred from inside as Claire shouts from the wardrobe "Doooooone~" finally getting out of the wardrobe she asks "So what do you think?"
She wore a full body blue spandex with a plastic zipper running from her neck to her waist, the zipper head hidden and broken up by a wide white leather belt with a hollow heart shaped buckle, accompanied with white Nike shox R4 with the shocks themselves being neon green, topped off with a big puffy holographic crop top jacket shimmering under the track lights, and a chrome Oakley Penny with blue-green gradient lenses over her head.
"Helloooooo? Mars to Abby?~"
Abby just kept ogling at Claire. Peering from bottom to top
CLAP.
She brought her hands together sharply an inch from his nose. "YO!"
He jolted, the shears clattering to the cutting table. A faint blush crept up his neck. "Oh- er… sorry. You look like… a Pokemon trainer"
Claire's confident smile faltered. Her shoulders slumped slightly. "Oh. You don't like it? It's too much isn't it? I'll just, um… go change—"
"No." The word came out quiet but firm, cutting her off. He finally looked her directly in the eyes, his expression utterly sincere. "I like it." A soft, genuine smile broke through his professional reserve. "I love Pokemon. I was honestly expecting you to pick a rainbow shirt and call it a day, but… you actually know how to pull a fit together. It's bold. It's… you."
The relief on her face was instant, transforming back into a beaming grin.
"Well, in that case," she said, sweeping into an exaggerated bow towards the archive door. "Your turn, m'lord! The runway is yours."
Abby scoffs a bit then struts all the way to the wardrobe
*15 minutes later*
He comes out of the wardrobe wearing a single white streak of hair extension on his front bang, wearing a blue tanktop with a star hole on the chest, a darker shade of blue liners run along the seams of it too, the tank top is covered with a wide-meshed white long sleeve fishnets. He sparks a Nike Triax on his left wrist, and a Chrome Hearts bracelet on the right wrist. While also wearing baggy-fitted chrome hearts denim pants, with darker shade of blue crosses all over it - topping it all off with some Nike Kukinis 'water' colorway on feet and a pair of Air Pods Max wrapped around his neck.
"So uh, how's it look?"
Claire squints one eyebrow as she smirks - she grabs Abby by the arm
"Let's go mog these losers outside!"
Abby finally closes up shop as they leave.
*Later that day during the welfare trials*
Reyna's massive blade was still lodged onto Clarice's shoulder. Gasping and wheezing as she struggles to breathe. However she holds the blade by the edge, using the leverage to pull her body closer to Reyna. Wheezing with every step, she finally got close to her face.
Clarice opens her mouth as her fangs protrude out from the top of her maw. Reyna felt the warm, foul breath on her face and saw the glint of elongated fangs. Instinct took over. She drove a desperate donkey kick into Clarice's torso, launching her across the room and onto the floor.
Her gaping wound was sealing itself while she sat up. But then Reyna spun her blade around, winding up to slice her from the side. Unfortunately, Clarice couldn't move her arm as the blade was seconds away from slicing her in half.
But then her nerves reconnected.
CLANG
She wrenched her arm just in time for the greatsword to hit the buckle on her left arm, completely deflecting the hit, but knocking her on her sides. She could feel the shock of the impact scrambling her insides. The residual force threw her backward—BANG—slamming her hard against the unyielding gymnasium wall
The left side of her face began to show more wrinkles, alongside some streaks of her hair turning white. She saw Reyna sprinting towards her, dragging the sword from the ground.
Reyna reached her sword, and with a roar of effort, thrust it straight at Clarice's heart. Dodging it, the tip pierced straight through the gymnasium wall, pinning Clarice for a split second before the blade jammed, stuck fast in the concrete. Seizing the opening, Clarice twisted and slashed her spear horizontally toward Reyna's neck, but Reyna was already moving. She abandoned the stuck greatsword, ducking under the whistling spearhead in a fluid, desperate motion. Now inside the spear's reach, Reyna drove a brutal uppercut into Clarice's jaw. The crack of the impact echoed in the room, stunning Clarice long enough for Reyna to grab her attacking arm. Using Clarice's own momentum, Reyna yanked her forward and down, simultaneously driving a knee up into her stomach. The air rushed from Clarice's lungs as the blow launched her backward, sending her skidding across the floor away from her spear.
Both of them are back to neutral spacing, Reyna was still holding her knife, while Clarice still had her buckler wrapped around her arm. Reyna's sweat dripped from her skin as it was starting to wet her clothes. While Clarice was just breathing heavily, as each breath puffed out miniscule clouds. Reyna quickly stripped off her own shirt, leaving only a sports bra underneath, and her tennis skirt stitched with cycling underneath
Clarice couldn't help but ask "Why did you- haa- take that off?"
Reyna was gasping for air with every word "It- was- starting to- haa- weigh me down, how come- haa- you're not sweating? Also you're starting to look like a human prune"
Clarice looks at herself with the reflection of the buckler, only to see that she has visibly aged for more than a decade, eyebags run deeper, smile lines treading across her temples and her cheeks, wrinkles on the forehead slash sideways.
She locks her eyes in front of her, then she zooms her pupils in on her spear. So Clarice sprinted at Reyna's direction- squaring up, Reyna raises her fists digging her toes on the floor, she tenses her body as Clarice bolts closer.
Once she was close, Reyna prepared to stab her with the knife. However as she stretched for the stab, but Clarice side steps to the left completely dodging the attack, fist cocked, elbow from the back- CRACK Clarice counters her with a mean uppercut to the liver, The blow sunk deep, doubling Reyna over. Before she could gasp, Clarice grabbed her, lifted her overhead with unnatural strength, and slammed her back-first into the hard floor, leaving her body bouncing in the air for a brief moment.
*Meanwhile at the cafe in Cydonia where Claire and Abby's are dating*
Claire stirred her iced coffee, laughing as a memory surfaced. "Okay, so back in school, I was taking this impossible test. Even my sister, the genius, had to cheat! And to our surprise, we got caught."
Abby leaned forward, captivated. "No way."
"Yes way! And the funniest part? The teacher begged us not to tell anyone. Said if the faculty found out his students cheated, he'd be fired. So he just gave us the lowest possible passing grade." She took a sip, her eyes sparkling. "You know what's even crazier?"
"It gets crazier?"
"Turns out everyone else failed. We were the only ones who passed with bare minimum scores!"
Their light, shared laughter cut through the quiet hum of the cafe. It faded naturally, and Abby's expression softened with genuine curiosity. "Hey, I don't mean to pry... but you mentioned a sister. What's she like?"
Claire smiled, a fond, distant look in her eyes. "Well, for starters... Clarice is pretty gentle, and reserved."
Everyone can hear their giggling in the cafe, then it slowly began to dial it down as Abby asked "Hey I don't mean to peer in your family life, but you mentioned you have a sister back home, what is she like?"
"Well for starters…
"Clarice is a pretty gentle, and reserved"
A strangled gasp echoed in the gym as Reyna landed, hunched on all fours. Blood spattered from her mouth onto the polished floor. Clarice sprinted forward without breaking stride and kicked Reyna's head like a soccer ball. A muffled cry of anguish was all Reyna could manage as she curled into a fetal position, arms shielding her head.
"She ain't particularly the person to take initiative, she always waits for the right time"
Clarice bent down, her fingers tangling in Reyna's sweat-soaked hair. She yanked upwards, dragging the dazed girl across the floor. Reyna screamed, the sound raw and piercing. Suddenly, the weight in Clarice's grip shifted. Reyna, leveraging the pull, surged to her feet. Seizing the moment of surprise, she pivoted her entire body and landed a desperate, powerful bicycle kick square against Clarice's jaw. SMACK- Her jaw stretched 180 degrees, dropping her to the ground like a ragdoll. This time, it was Reyna who stood over her, chest heaving, standing firm amidst the wreckage.
"Which makes her easy to give up, but thinks for another way"
Clarice's eyes darted, glowing with infernal light. In a heartbeat, her hand—cold and hard as iron—snatched Reyna by the throat, crushing her windpipe and cutting off her air with a sickening crunch. She launched Reyna into the air, then heaved her down, slamming her back into the floor with a force that jolted through both their bodies. The impact knocked the knife from Reyna's grip, sending it skittering across the floor. Before Reyna could gasp, Clarice mounted her stomach, the pressure driving the remaining air from Reyna's lungs. She clenched both hands around Reyna's neck, her thumbs pressing deep into the soft, vulnerable flesh of her throat.
While being choked, Reyna's fingers scrambled blindly across the cold, slick floor, finally closing around the knife's familiar, textured grip. She proceeded to repeatedly stab Clarice in the stomach. Each thrust was a wet, sucking punch followed by a hollow, guttural groan that echoed throughout the gym.
"But she gives up nevertheless"
Gritting her teeth, Clarice pressed her weight even further, the bones in Reyna's neck creaking under the strain. Desperate, Reyna stabbed Clarice again, but this time she twisted the blade and dragged it upward through muscle and sinew. Clarice let out a gut-wrenching scream as her stomach yawned open, a gaping, terrible maw.
But she still hadn't let go of the choke.
Reyna's vision tunneled, her face turning a deep purple, eyes bulging and bloodshot. She persisted, dropping the knife and sinking her fingers into the warm, slippery, yielding mass of Clarice's intestines. She pulled. The organs, slick with internal fluid, offered a horrifying, rubbery resistance. She pulled and pulled and pulled, each length coming free with a soft, tearing sound. Clarice moaned in agony, a wet, bubbling noise, but still, no blood came from her—only from Reyna's own wounds.
As she persisted, her strength fading, she tore out other organs: the spongy, dense liver; the smooth, firm kidneys; the thin, tearing membrane of the diaphragm. With each organ she lost, her grip weakened, her arms trembling. Finally, her hold slackened just enough for a single, precious gasp of air to whistle into Reyna's crushed throat.
Yet, in one swift, final motion—
"I bet she wouldn't hurt a fly, because she's sweet~"
CHOMP.
In a desperate last attempt, Clarice sank her razor-sharp fangs deep, locking her jaw onto her neck. Her limbs locked around Reyna's back in a final, vice-like embrace.
"NOOO! NNOOOOO!!! NOOOOooooooooo…"
Reyna's struggle was a weak, spasmodic shudder. Her body slowly dried up, as it turned paler, the skin tightening over bone until the last sound—a faint, dry, quivering wheeze. Clarice kept pinning her down, until the gym was silent she unlocked her jaw from Reyna's neck. Blood residue dripped from her hollow fangs, painting a dark trail down her chin. Her mouth hung open, emitting faint, ghostly steam with every ragged, dragging breath.
Wrinkles on her face flatten, with each breath her skin restores the lively red, blood under the skin, all of her wounds close up like nothing happened, her internal organs pulls itself back from the cavity like leeches, once everything was inside, her skin closed up, with no traces of damage. Finally she takes a deep breath while looking at the lights, her eyes dilate, as her eyes lock into one of the standing soldiers.
No cheers, just silence. The soldiers around her are already pointing their weapons at her, suddenly someone sounds from the speaker "Stand down cadets!"
They do so drop their guard. Coming from the spectators room, was Ms. Song, emerging from the door, as other members of the faculty and a few nuns, walked in clapping their hands. Most of them are expressing a smile, yet their eyes show weary, as eyebrows pivot outward, whilst some of them are profusely sweating. Ms. Song finally approaches her , pats her on the shoulder and says softly "Congratulations future headmistress, please clean yourself up and meet your escort back at the elevator, they will be waiting you there"
They left the room, and so are the soldiers guarding her from every corner of the gym.
Still mounted on Reyna's lifeless body, zero expressions, just a deadpan look at her body, slumped, with only a blanket of her skin and bones blanked under her legs.
"Ma'am?"
Clarice jolted from being startled as the same escort from earlier arrived "Please clean yourself up in the locker room washroom and we should be on our way"
"Err… yeah, sure"
*Meanwhile at Claire and Abby's date, t'was now late evening*
"So Abs, you got more plans where we should hang out?" Claire jerked her elbow onto Abby's arm.
"It's kinda getting late, besides- Cydonia after dark is the last thing you'd want to be your last moments"
"Aight, aight, I was just hoping we could at least check out thrift stores"
Abby leans near her and says "say, how about I'll ride with you on your train ride home?"
Claire tucks her arms behind her back, swaying slightly "I dunno, you might waste too much time taking me home"
"Nah it's all cool, besides- I had fun hanging out with you, plus you kind of 60/40'd the bills earlier, it's the least I could do"
Claire crosses her arms pouting "Wait… you're not doing this because I'm short ain't it? You think I can't defend myself?"
"No," he said, his voice softening. "I just love you here with me"
Her face shot up, flushing a deep red. She looked away, smiling from cheek to cheek.
*Fast forward to their train ride*
The rhythmic clatter of the train on the tracks was a soothing hum as it had already left the station as the couple had already boarded. The train was unusually spacious, yet now empty, it was just enough for them to not be packed like sardines. It was quiet- Claire was listening to music through her wired earbuds, on her right she was holding her phone, Abby however was starting to doze off, as his eyes were visibly trying to fight his drowsiness.
Suddenly while his hand was on his lap, Claire laid her hands over his. The touch jolted him wide awake. In response, he gently turned his hand and laced his fingers through hers. Claire side-eyed him, a soft smile playing on her lips.
He felt the scars and calluses on her palm, despite that, he tightened his grip even further, Claire closed her eyes and leaned on Abby's shoulder, he did the same as well. This time he did fall asleep.
*Meanwhile at Lady Augusta's School of Welfare*
Clarice was walking down to her dorm, on her way to the door, the dorm right in front of it, sat in silent darkness. Clarice walks towards the door, only to find out that the door is locked, yet the presence of the room seems to be colder. Walking away, she just went back to her own dorm.
Opening the door only revealed darkness, turning the lights on only revealed emptiness. Dropping her bag on the floor, she looked at Claire's bed, only to find out that she hasn't taken the sheet back from the laundromat, a slight stain of red still lingers on the matress.
All she could do was sigh sharply, as tears were welling up her eyelids
Suddenly the door clicks as it creaked open
Clarice turned around gasping, only to see
"CLAIRE!"
"REECE!-" Both of them with open arms; Clarice, bursting with tears- immediately rushes to embrace.
They collided halfway. Clarice buried her face in her sister's chest as heavy sobs broke out of her. Her knees buckled. Claire caught her, lifted her clean off the ground, and held on tight.
"I thought you were gone," Clarice choked out. "I saw the blood… I was so scared—"
"Shhh. I'm right here." Claire's voice cracked too. She pressed her cheek against the top of Clarice's head. "Sorry I didn't message sooner. Things got messy out there."
Claire lifted her up as both of them hugged as tight as they could, then Claire proceeded to pull Clarice up from her feet. Clarice started to giggle while she was in the air. As she puts down Clarice, both of them start to wipe their tears away, then they hold each other's shoulders.
Both of them looked at each other's statures, Clarice broke the silence with.
"You um- gained weight huh?"
"Hehe- yeah, the food there was pretty tight, how about you? Look at you! You lost a lot! What's been stressing you out huh?"
Clarice continues to wipe more of her tears "Everything, it just got really overwhelming. Just the pressure they put on me because I'm a star student"
Claire nodded in approval, while her hand was onto Clarice's- it slipped thus feeling the touch of her cold skin. "Reece, you're cold- paler too- are you sure you're fine?"
Clarice sniffles while rubbing her nose "Guess I'm just overexcited to see my sister"
For a moment she smiled, Claire glanced at her mattress as she found a red streak on the white fabric
"Did you um… sleep on my bed while you're on high tide?"
Clarice said while she touched both of her index fingers "Um, you see: while you were gone, a few students temporarily stayed here because their dorms were under maintenance- since your bed was the only one unoccupied"
"So this isn't your blood?"
"No"
"Eugh! Disgusting! Who was she?"
"I- it was June, the one with gradient hair"
Claire's face shot up in anger "I'm gonna make that bitch lick her disgusting skidmark once the sun rises."
"So where're you sleeping?"
Claire was already preparing her blanket "On the floor Reece" she murmured "I knew people were gonna push you around when I'm gone, now they just turned you into a human punching bag don't they?"
Clarice rubs her own arm "Err… yeah, something like that. By the way, does this mean you're going back to school?"
"Of course! Still got a lot of catching up to do… I didn't miss any exams didn't I?"
Clarice just expressed grimace at Claire, she sighed in response "Yeah… I knew they weren't gonna let me squeeze out of that one." She yawned as her jaw unhinged "Phew! It's getting late Reece- day was a goddamn handful, hopefully we'll get everything squared up"
She wrapped herself in blankets, puffed her pillow, and clapped her hands to turn off the lights. Reece flicks the switch turning on their night light
"G'night Reece"
"Goodnight Claire"
Deeper into the night, Claire is sound asleep, Clarice however was wide awake, she just lies flat on the bed as her eyes are wide open. She couldn't help but stare at her sister sleeping on the floor. Pulling her own blanket she decided to lay beside Claire. Somehow, her eyes began to sway heavily, her breath softened muscles relax- she finally dozed off to sleep.
In the morning, the twins go about their typical morning, Claire cooks, while Clarice prepares the clothes, each ate their meals after taking a bath- they went on their way to leave for class- a typical day for these two.
However while walking down the hallway, the gauntlet of students's voices fill the room, but once the twins take center stage. Everything got dead quiet. Further walking to class, various students stare at them, some are even looking away as they pass by. Whispers could be heard with each passing student, some are more vivid with the words "She's back?", "I thought she killed her own sister!", "isn't she the one that won the trials?", and many more.
Claire slowly turns her head towards her sister "Err… Reece, what happened while I was gone?"
Her eyes became restless in response "I- um- it's a long story"
However, as they were about to enter their classroom, Gertrude was already there
She greeted "Oh!" She was about to say something but she swallowed her words once she caught a glance at Claire "Phoenix sisters!" she shift into a condescending tone "Claire…"
"Sup"
"Mornin' sister!"
Gertrude softened her demeanor "Clarice, would you be a dear and accompany me?" suddenly she became stern "Claire! Stay here in class or I will personally punish you when I return"
Claire sighed "Mornin' too sister" Claire walked herself to her respective seat
Gertrude left with Clarice, walking her out with her hand against Clarice's back.
Right before Clarice left, the twins looked at each other, center of their eyebrows tilted up and their jaws clenched.