Writing Portfolio - Worn Skin

Submission for the, The Contact-A Mystery? Contest here on Penana. Awarded 1st place.

An old sign hung loosely at the front door. It was crafted in smooth wood, all in the colour of rippling honey. The wood was worn and the delicately carved letters were washed through with the rain. It had been sunny all week until an unexpected bout of rain decided to soak the city. "Lovelace Cafe" was carved into the wooden sign. Inside, Lucy sat at the counter, getting ready for the day. It was a slow morning, thanks to the rain no doubt. Though she took solace in the tranquility of the cafe in the early morning, she wasn't the only one who was supposed to be working.

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Lucy was the eldest of two children and would often be blamed when her little sister's wild nature took her off into the night, drinking and partying, coming home at strange hours of the night or simply not coming home at all. Though her sister was supposed to be working with her on this particular day, she was nowhere to be found. Lucy glanced at her phone. Part of her dreaded having to call her sister and be at the mercy of her horrible attitude, but the other part of her felt like she could already hear her parent's chastising if she refused to call.

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"Why weren't you with her Lucy?"

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"Why didn't you call her Lucy?"

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"How can you just forget about your only sister like that Lucy?"

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A long, tired sigh left her lips as she picked up her phone. She dragged her finger across the screen, scrolling through her contacts in annoyance. Her idle scrolling was cut short when a particular contact caught her eye. Lucy didn't have very many friends and she seldom went out. So it surprised her to see a contact that she had no recollection of adding. She tried to examine it further but the more she tried to read the name, the more the letters seemed to scramble in her head. Lucy squinted at her phone in frustration, rubbing her eyes to soothe her oncoming headache. She deleted the mysterious contact, assuming it was some mistake and found her sister's name. With each ring, Lucy felt anxiety rise in the pit of her stomach. Just when she thought it would go straight to voicemail, she heard her sister pick up.

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"What!"

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"Where are you? Mom and dad said you were supposed to help me in the cafe today."

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Lucy could hear her sister sigh in irritation on the other end. "It's none of your business where I am. If they ask just tell them I'm taking a break or something."

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"Hazel, stop acting like a child. We have work to do today. I'm not lying for you so you can keep causing trouble."

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"I have a bloody life you know! It's not my problem you're a freakish shut-in! Don't call me again. I'm busy."

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Lucy heard the phone cut off. She groaned and began mentally preparing for the earful she'd get from their parents.

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Just as she had expected, the day had ended and Hazel hadn't come home until late into the evening. Lucy had tried calling and texting her throughout the day, all attempts being blatantly ignored by Hazel. Sure enough, as soon as she arrived back home and stepped inside, she spotted her parents waiting for her at the dining table.

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"You're back later than usual," said her mother with a disapproving frown.

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"I had to clean up by myself today since-"

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Her father cut her off with an impatient wave of his hand."We don't need to hear your excuses." The man leaned back in his chair, taking off his glasses and squeezing the bridge of his nose. "We can understand this kind of behaviour from your sister but we certainly won't tolerate it from you. Hazel told us all about what happened today."

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Lucy felt all the frustration she had felt throughout the day begin to simmer in her chest.

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"You're the older sister. You're expected to set a good example. How could you just ignore your sister's calls all day? She was worried sick all day because you didn't show up for work! What kind of person leaves a young girl to fend for herself like that?"

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Lucy rolled her eyes, unsurprised at the fact that Hazel would spin the story like that. It wasn't the first time she'd pull a stunt like that and Lucy was sure it wouldn't be the last.

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Lucy pulled her phone out, ready to defend herself. "That's not what happened! I can show you the texts! She's the one that ignored-"

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"LUCY!" Her father's deep voice bounced off the walls of the small room, shaking Lucy into a resentful silence. "You would have us believe that a young girl, alone and vulnerable would ignore her own sister who was supposed to be helping her this whole time? According to Hazel, it was so busy she was swept right off her feet trying to do everything by herself. If you're going to lie you should at least put some effort into it."

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Lucy felt her blood boil. "It wasn't even busy today! If you would just listen to me-"

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Before Lucy could say anything Hazel had come out of her room to get something to eat, only to stumble upon their little argument. "Mom? Dad? What's going on?"

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When Lucy and Hazel locked eyes, they glared viciously at one another, disdain written plainly across both of their faces. If looks could kill, both of them would have dropped dead the instant they laid eyes on one another.

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Hazel pretended to cower behind her mother, further testing Lucy's patience. "Mom, she's scaring me!"

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Her mother's head snapped towards Lucy. "LUCY! Stop looking at your sister like that! How can you be so childish!"

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"WHY IS EVERYTHING ALWAYS ABOUT HAZEL! Why is nothing ever her fault! I'm your daughter too! Why don't-"

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Her father's opened hand cracked across Lucy's face, leaving a sickeningly red welt behind. "I am disgusted to know that we've raised such a selfish child. We are done talking about this. Get out."

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A thick silence settled in the room. Despite her best efforts, Lucy was unable to stop her eyes from watering. Neither Hazel or their mother said anything as Lucy stormed passed them and into her room. Her own room was no bigger than a storage closet with a lone mirror and a mattress in the corner. The door slammed shut behind her and the second her head hit her pillow, she let herself cry. The frustration that made her blood boil, finally overflowing. Lucy cried herself into the night until her pillow was stained with the tears she had shed. As exhaustion filled her head, so did a seething resentment towards Hazel. What was once a mere annoyance, turned into festering jealousy.

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Bitter thoughts flooded her head. Why did Hazel always get her way? Was it because she was younger? Was it because she was just more likable in everyone else's eyes? Perhaps it was just because they thought Lucy just wasn't worth it. Lucy let her thoughts sweep her into a deep sleep, desperately hoping that when next she opened her eyes, she would be someone else. Someone who would never have to put up with anything like what she had all this time.

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The sound of an alarm stirred Lucy awake. She squinted as the morning sun that filtered in from her window hit her eyes. Her arm flopped over the mattress so she could grab her phone, turning off her alarm and rolling back over on her side. It took her a moment to piece together the events of last night in her half-asleep state. When she finally sat up and looked across her room at her mirror, she could clearly see the blue bruise that graced the side of her face.

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Lucy pushed herself out of bed and walked over to the mirror to get a better look at herself. Her fingers ghosted over the bruise, earning herself a sharp hiss as she winced in pain. She looked at felt horrible. Her eyes were sore and puffy and paired the ugly bruise and less than glamorous bedhead, she looked like she was a corpse that had just pulled herself out of a grave and haphazardly stumbled into someone's home. Lucy glanced at her bedroom door, half contemplating barricading herself in and crawling back under her flimsy covers to waste the day away.

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Unfortunately for Lucy, all hopes for a peaceful day were dashed the moment she heard a ding sound from her phone. With an annoyed huffed, she made her way over to where it was on the mattress and picked it up. "WITCH" flashed briefly across the screen. Lucy kissed her teeth, silently cursing whatever luck she had that would make her mother text her first thing in the morning.

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"Your father and I have left for work. Hazel is out with a friend today so you're responsible for everything. If you feel the need to have a repeat of yesterday, then you can start looking for somewhere else to live because it won't be tolerated in our house. If you have any shred of a conscience you'll make it up to us today. You can start by calling someone to fix the door of the cafe. The lock keeps getting stuck."

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Anger and spite clashed in Lucy's head as she read the text. Lucy let herself slink onto the ground, leaning her back against the mattress. She thought to distract herself with work elsewhere and so she began scrolling through her phone again.

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Lucy mumbled idly to herself, like a little chant to stop her mind from drifting back to her family. "Maintenance guy...maintenance guy..." Her words looped round and round in a necklace of desperation as she scrolled when suddenly, it came to a stop.

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Lucy quirked an eyebrow, there on her screen, right as it has been yesterday, was the mysterious contact that she could have sworn she deleted. Amid the confusion, curiosity began rearing its head. The thought of her phone being hacked or it being some kind of weird virus did cross her mind, but in the end, curiosity had won against reason and before she knew it, she had already hit call.

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The phone hadn't even rung out once before someone had picked up. Almost as if they had been expecting the call. "Hi, there! Thank you for calling! Here at Morningstar inc, we strive to make all of your wildest dreams come true. My name is Isaac, how can I help you today Miss Lovelace?"

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Lucy didn't know how to react at first. She had too many questions. How did this stranger know her name? What was Morningstar inc? More importantly, who the hell were they? A muffled chuckle sounded from the other line. As if he could read her mind, Isaac began explaining himself.

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"I understand this must be very confusing for you. First things first, I suppose I should explain who we are. The services provided by Morningstar inc are made available to those deemed in need of our assistance. We-"

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Lucy felt herself shudder. Isaac only served to ignite more confusion. "This sounds like a scam...I'm not interested in whatever your-"

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"Stop," commanded Isaac.

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His voice sounded like a distant echo in her head and it shook her to the core. Lucy felt a strange, tingling sensation consume her. Her words got suck in her throat and her body froze in place. She just barely managed to shift her gaze towards the mirror by chance, only to see a faint red glow outlining her crouched figure.

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"I'm sorry Miss Lovelace but I can't allow you to hang up just yet."

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Lucy's mouth was agape like she was trying to speak but no sound came out.

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"I'm sure you've noticed by now that the number you've called is no ordinary number. You see, I'm what you'd call a wish granter of sorts. Morningstar inc seeks out troubled individual's who don't possess the means to solve their issues on their own and we offer our services to them."

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Isaac cleared his throat. "Mr. Isaac! What services do you offer?" He mimicked her voice mockingly.

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"Well, that's the fun part! You get to decide how we do things. Is there someone you hate? Someone bullying you? Maybe you wish to win someone's affections. I can help you achieve whatever it is you desire. Of course, we wouldn't be much of a business if we offered things for free. You see, by calling this number, you've already initiated the first part of the contract!"

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Lucy couldn't help but think that this whole thing was a bit too thought out to be a simple scam and then there was the matter of whatever this Isaac fellow had done to freeze her moments ago. A sense of dread filled her gut as she imagined the possibilities of what he might do if she refused to participate in this little game of his.

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"If you hang up without us coming to an agreement, the contract won't be complete and you will be placed on a list of those who refused our services. Our boss doesn't take well to rejection. So anyone that refuses us ends up at the receiving end of his horrible temper. I don't want to frighten you too much so I won't go into that. I just want you to know that I have your best interest in mind."

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The red glow vanished and Lucy heaved a breath of relief in being able to move again. "Wha...what do I need to do then?" She asked warily.

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She swore she could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke. "Why don't you start by telling me about your troubles?"

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"My...troubles?" She didn't quite know what was happening, but she could tell that he was doing something again. It was a different kind of sensation this time though. It felt as though she was being lulled into a trance, like Isaac was drawing something out of her. Before she knew it, she had poured her heart out about her sister, her parents, her feelings of worthlessness and all to this mysterious stranger she had met only moments ago.

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"I see, I see. So this sister of yours gets everything she wants and all at your expense? What would you have me do with her? Would you like it if I made her disappear? Perhaps you'd like it more if I made her life a living hell, take away all her luck and give it to you?"

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Still, completely at the mercy of the trance she found herself in, Lucy hadn't even registered the exact words that left her lips until it was already too late. "I want to be her. I want everything she has. Friends, love, everything!"

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The vague sound of typing could be heard on Isaac's end. "Alright. I've got all your information down. Now all I need from you is a signature."

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Lucy seemed to be ripped from her trance the moment her hand began to burn due to her phone suddenly overheating. She dropped it in a panic, the remnants of the sudden blistering heat, very evident by the red marks on her pale palm. Smoke began to drift from her phone and it began vibrating violently against the floor. Lucy stumbled to her feet, but before she could run for the door a black cloud of smoke plumed until it reached the ceiling, blocking her path. When the smoke subsided Lucy was surprised to find a man standing above her phone. He was tall and had an imposing aura about him. Messy white hair fell into hypnotizing golden eyes as the man looked down at Lucy, both seeming to stand out against his smooth, dark skin.

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The man fixed his tie and grabbed Lucy's shaking hand, flipping it over and placing a chaste kiss on the back of it. "Nice to see you face to face Miss Lovelace!"

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His smile was nothing short of devilish and Lucy knew that nothing good would come of it, but she was already caught in his web and there was nothing she could do to escape it. Isaac let go of Lucy's hand and flipped open his briefcase. A single sheet of paper and a pen was all that was in it.

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He handed the paper to Lucy, pointing to lines of letters that Lucy found herself unable to read. "Just sign right here and you've got yourself a deal."

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It was the same as when she found his contact in her phone, the letters scrambled in her head constantly as she tried to read them, giving her a headache the more she tried to make sense of it. Noticing her distress, Isaac sighed.

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"Right...forgot humans can't read this," he mumbled. "Right, basically this just goes over your rights and whatnot. It just states that I'm not allowed to force you to do anything you don't want to blah blah blah. By signing you consent to handing over your soul once you die in exchange for using our services."

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Isaac placed the pen in Lucy's hand. "It's a fabulous deal if I do say so myself. Don't you agree? I mean isn't it just to die for!"283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7FrXxHfrWW

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Lucy was overwhelmed, her expression twisting into fear the more she listened to Isaac speak and yet the words that slipped off her tongue betrayed the horror in her eyes, almost as if the longer she stared into his eyes, the more they peered into the deep dark corners of her mind, dragging out the thoughts and feelings she had learned to bury all her life. The more he unearthed, the more she felt herself slipping into a wanton indulgence of everything she worked so hard to ignore all these years.283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeInU7W7GHj

"Yes...it is..." Lucy pressed the pen to the paper and signed away her soul as if it were nothing.283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQXo47zlMV

Isaac's grin seemed to widen as he snatched the contract and placed it back into the briefcase. With the snap of his fingers, the briefcase vanished into thin air. With the contract out of the way, he leaned in to examine Lucy. Her dark eyes looked like crystal grapes against her snowy face. Isaac felt the urge to grab her face and smoosh it together like he would if he were playing with an animal.283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVjUW6Beiwr

"Alrighty, Let's get down to the good stuff. You want to be your sister, you want to have everything she has. A simple request. Shouldn't take too long. I just need you to close your eyes for me. Don't worry you won't feel a thing."283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYvct1DibH

Lucy did as she was told. Like an obedient pet following its master's orders.283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEvH7ulGsV

"Good girl." She felt Isaac place a hand on her head, patting her lightly and then she heard him snap again.283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuhcovol94

A heavy silence settled in the air. The only sound Lucy could make out was the sound of her own breathing. It didn't take long for the crafted silence to shatter beneath a voice. It was a woman's voice. It took Lucy a moment to figure out what she was saying. Her brows knit as she forced her eyes opened. Her body felt unbelievably heavy and it took her a minute to snap herself out of her daze. When she did, she spotted several people standing over her.283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmkNcnqEDz

"Helloooooo! Earth to Hazel!"283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡauWtv0T4si

Lucy's head snapped up. "Huh?"283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6aZU0M84x8

"You're awake now? Don't scare us like that! You just collapsed out of nowhere. Did you have too much to drink?"283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYZ6zI0aJA

The gears in her head slowly started turning and as she looked down at her body, it dawned on her that the body she was looking at was not her own, but rather, it was Hazel's.283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSEHADcaiq

"That guy...really did it?" She mumbled to herself.283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEn11uGmLHU

"Huh? What guy?"283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGosT9aJdCZ

Lucy looked back up at Hazels-or rather, her friends. "It's nothing! What were we doing again?"283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWkTGLit6K

Lucy was on such a high that when she stumbled back into her house, she just barely registered the person standing down the hall in the doorway of her room. Their face was pale and horrified but soon contorted into rage. It wasn't until they were standing right in front of her with their hands around her neck that she realized that she was staring back at her own face.283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnaZxAwoyQz

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?"283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhj8LmLFhJH

It was a strange feeling, seeing her own face express so much pain and hatred. Lucy couldn't even begin to explain to Hazel what was going on. Partially because she was too drunk and partially because she was enjoying watching her little sister cry so desperately. Even if it was her own face she was looking at, it was an incredibly satisfying feeling to know that the root of all her frustration now knew what it felt like to be trapped and helpless with no way out. In the midst of all Hazel's screaming, their parents had come home from a long day of work to find who they thought was Lucy strangling her little sister. Oblivious to their daughter's switch in bodies, they rushed to "Hazel's" rescue. Their father wasted no time in kicking "Lucy" to the ground and off of "Hazel."283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYpuE1Dmy4

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD4h82YFgAQ

Hazel looked stunned. That was most likely the first time their parents had ever hit her and now that she was in Lucy's body, it surely wouldn't be the last. "D-Dad...wha...what are you..."283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZWsGBOMdn

"HAVE YOU GONE MAD! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!"283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFLmVUb1zS5

Lucy was determined to give Hazel a taste of her own medicine. She cowered into their mother's hands. "Mom she's scaring me!"283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGgckRVZQY

"WHAT! Stop...DON'T BELIEVE HER! SHE'S AN IMPOSTOR! I'M-" Hazel was once again cut off, this time by a slap to the face. She held her face, sobbing hysterically. Her eyes drifted to the house keys that Lucy had dropped when Hazel first ran over to her. She stood up and wordlessly walked over to it. The second she took it in her hand, she began screaming again283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoEUk3SItYr

"Give it back...GIVE ME BACK MY BODY!"283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXi5Cat2yZ

Lucy felt dread pool in her stomach as her sister tackled her to the ground She struggled to kick Hazel off of her.283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa0Bsw2FkmI

"MOM! DAD! LUCY'S TRYING TO HURT ME!" She called desperately.283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTtS6eME2r2

"GIVE IT BACK, GIVE IT BACK!"283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAC0qraSlMX

Panic and adrenaline flooded through Lucy's veins as she put her hands out in front of her to try and block the blows. She didn't feel anything, she didn't even notice that she was bleeding out until the keys were lodged right into the side of her neck and a chill consumed her body. The only thing she could make out was the vague sound of their parent's horrified screams. A new kind of emptiness filled her as their mother cradled her in her arms, crying out Hazel's name. Lucy was dying and not even the woman that gave her life would be there to mourn her. She realized that her mother's tears were for Hazel and Hazel only. Nothing was ever for her.283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81Hm0Wv2VD

All she was left with in the end was her own bitter loneliness.283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZwfMPYUgtk

Isaac sat with his feet propped up on his desk. He had been spending his time idly napping until a co-worker stopped by at his cubicle. He pushed Isaac's feet off the table and watched Isaac flail his arm wildly as he woke in a panic.283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XJ3SVvCNB

"It wasn't me!" Isaac's eyes settled on his co-worker and a tired groan ripped itself from his throat. "Oh...it's just you...whatever it is, make it quick. I need my beauty sleep."283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuNUjwX6IK

"Don't give me that. I have news on your latest client."283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1a0BMwQ7Ea

Isaac's brow rose. "Lovelace?"283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdMzVVneLfz

"She's dead. Died a few minutes ago."283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqOkxYPCoX

Before he could stop it, a haughty laugh erupted from him. "Already? Hell yeah," he pumped his fist in the air triumphantly. "I didn't have to wait long at all! Today really is my lucky day! I should get a bonus for bringing in a soul this quick."283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8YB7Ma7cU

Isaac's co-worker rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, don't let it go to your head."283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5TOjDnhj2

Isaac snickered. "Too late."283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpB7XggNWrK

Their conversation was cut short by the ringing of a phone. Isaac reached over and picked it up, twirling the cord with his finger.283Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC84XWjBdDZ

"Hi, there! Thank you for calling! Here at Morningstar inc, we strive to make all of your wildest dreams come true. My name is Isaac, how can I help you today?"

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