Emily hummed happily as she made her way to Ana’s house.

It had been a good week for her, relaxing and fighting duels. Their team wasn’t expecting anything big since their competition was ramping up, but the extra practice made for some great times. It was the opposite of her experiences fighting her own team. Even if they got knocked out by a stronger team later on, she felt great kicking ass for once instead of getting her ass kicked.

Gyro and Nastin had left, leaving their spots voluntarily to Spark Joy and Roxxy. Though the girls had insisted that the team only needed one tank, and when Third finally got out of the library they’d pass one of the spots to him.

‘Honestly, that should be me.’ Emily thought as she drew nearer to Ana’s house.

Third was definitely a lot more serious about the competition than she was, and she knew that his utility could probably replace her as long as Archy provided consistent range damage. Then, with two tanks, they would be a stronger and deadlier team.

‘When did I get so strategic?’ She chuckled as the thought crossed her mind. ‘It’s all Nastin's fault.’

Just a few weeks ago she would have left everything to the others because she didn’t know any better. Now she was thinking of different tactics and strategies.

Nastin had spent ages going on about various tactics she could try during their duels and explaining strategies to her. She didn’t really care much about the different tactics, but it was still interesting. Most of all it was just fun to hear him talk on and on about it so passionately, especially when it distracted him enough to let her get a shot in. But some of it had definitely rubbed off on her.

“But this is the Greiche Financial. This is a once in a lifetime chance.”

Emily stopped in her tracks as she heard Andrew’s voice. She’d already made it far enough that she could see him standing in Ana’s driveway, talking to Ana. She didn't look too happy to see him either, she'd crossed her arms and she looked like she just wanted to get rid of him. But Emily had known them long enough to spot the tell-tale signs that Ana was only pretending. To a stranger. it would look like they were fighting. But to Emily, it looked like Ana was deeply interested in what Andrew had to say.

Once upon a time, she would have jumped into the conversation without hesitation, but she didn't want to interrupt them. “I’ll come back in five more minutes.”

She turned around and thought about what she’d do to pass the time. She didn’t feel like walking around the block in this heat.

“Milly!” Ana’s voice shouted out to her and Emily froze, turning back around with a smile.

Ana’s eyes brightened as she spotted Emily. “I was waiting for you! You’ll never guess what Andrew’s saying.”

‘Hang on. What’s going on here?’ Emily couldn’t help but be suspicious of her attitude.

She was starting to think that the reason Ana had been so interested in what Andrew was saying was that she was planning something.

Emily walked up to Ana and nodded politely as she passed Andrew. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Milly, come with me.” Ana grabbed Emily’s arm gently and without warning began walking towards her door. “We’re going to talk for a bit.” She turned to Andrew. “Wait out here for a second.”

Ana closed the door and whisked Emily into the house, moving the confused girl to the kitchen. Emily stared at the door where she knew Andrew was and turned back to Ana, only to see her friend’s eyes twinkling.

“All right.” Emily gave in and raided Ana’s fridge rather than fight off the inevitable any longer. “What's on your mind?”

“So, Andrew is going to this party and has a plus one-”

“No way.” Emily could already see where this was going.

Ana wanted her to go with Andrew and patch things up.

“MILLY.” Ana looked hurt at her rejection. “At least let me finish.” She took a deep breath. “I want to ask Andrew to take you instead of me to this party thing.” Ana didn’t mince any words.

“No w-” Emily hesitated just as she was about to get the words out.

She could see that Ana was deadly serious about it. But she knew her friend wouldn’t push her to go to something she didn’t want to. Whatever kind of party it was, Ana had probably already found out enough to know that Emily would have a fun time there.

“Are you sure he’ll accept me going and not you?”

“He will if he ever wants to hang out with us again.”

“You know I’m not really someone that goes out much. Especially to parties.” Emily was telling the truth and they both knew it.

She had always been a quieter person and instead of parties, she’d hung around Ana and Andrew as a trio. Both of them were the same as far as she knew. A large, extravagant, and booze-filled night just wasn’t on their list of things do to have fun.

“You know I’d never ask you to go to that kind of thing. This isn’t a regular party Milly, it’s a gamer one.” Ana brought out a small flier. “Andrew handed me this. I’ve had him talking outside for the last thirty minutes about it.”

“God, he must be dying out there.” Emily giggled as she thought of Andrew baking into a crisp outside.

The guy couldn’t even handle sunlight on a regular day, let alone a hot day like this. She knew Ana could handle anything; She was a beast in fitness and a little heat wasn’t going to kill her. She was willing to bet Ana had done it on purpose to Andrew to see if he was serious about offering this thing.

“Greiche Financial?” Emily raised her eyebrow at Ana. “You realise this is probably a business thing right?

“No, no.” Ana shook her head. “It’s for Zodiac Online players to get together and mingle. Or you know, talk about the game. Andrew said that strong player will be there. You know, the one that’s his teammate.” Ana tilted her head in concentration as she tried to remember the name. “Violet.”

“Oh?” Emily felt her interest growing.

She enjoyed gaming parties. Andrew and Ana had always been the bigger gamers but she had tagged alongside them, going to virtual reality gaming sessions, and some festivals.

‘Violet.’

Emily had never encountered her personally as Seven but the warrior had also left a huge impression on her in the competition. Her fight with TidalWave had caused him to improve massively. But that still wasn’t enough to get her to want to go.

‘A party for gamers sounds pretty fun.’ Emily felt intrigued by the idea.

A regular party wasn’t her thing, but Zodiac Online definitely was.

“This might be your best chance to have a solid talk with Andrew and sort everything out.”

Ana’s words bit into Emily’s main thoughts like a piranha taking out a chunk of flesh. No matter how much Emily denied that she wanted to go, they both knew she could have fun wherever she went as long as she was with friends. She wasn’t even shy around strangers as long as she could find something to relate to. The only reason she wasn’t interested was because she didn’t want to hang out with Andrew.

She was still hesitating about the state of their friendship.

“You’re talking like I actually want us to be friends.”

“Don’t you?”

“The guy is a douche and we both know it.”

Ana’s expression softened as she heard Emily’s words and Emily saw much the words had hurt her. “Milly, look at me in the eyes and tell me you don’t want to be friends with Andrew anymore. Tell me you want to have him out of your life forever. Or that it doesn’t matter what happens to him.”

Emily brought her gaze directly into Ana’s face and felt her throat clog up as she tried to get the words out. She tried to tell Ana that she didn’t want to talk to Andrew, or go to a party with him or be friends with him. But she couldn’t get the words out of her mouth.

It just wasn’t the truth.

They’d spent so much time together over the years that she thought she knew him as a brother. At the least, they’d been close friends. He’d been with her through hard times and painful memories, and he’d never been the type of person who was such a dick. He had hurt her feelings deeply, but it wasn’t his words or his attitude that made her feel pained, it was the fact that through it all he hadn’t once acted like they were friends. He’d acted like they were complete strangers.

She could forgive the harsh words, but she couldn’t forget the isolation.

‘Am I going to let a couple of bad months ruin years of friendship?’ She wondered to herself.

Andrew was probably going through issues of his own. She knew just from what Ana had told her how much he’d changed, and how he was suddenly spouting nonsense about being from the future. If it wasn’t true, it meant that he was probably in a pretty bad position.

‘I don’t want to abandon a friend. Especially not one going through a bad time.’

She’d honestly been considering how to approach him already. Not to get closer to him, but just to confirm what Ana was saying was true. It seemed almost too unreal that he would have changed so much in so little time. If she could get him to say the words out of her own mouth then she'd probably just advise him to seek professional help like Ana had done.

“I can’t say that I don’t want to be his friend.” Emily’s mouth said the words before she even realised she’d thought them. They surprised her more than she’d thought they would. “But if he’s still a dick to me I swear I’ll never talk to him again.”

“We’ll never speak to him again,” Ana confirmed with a gentle smile. “Because if he screws this up I’ll be right there with you with ice cream to talk about what an ass he is. Then we’ll get him some professional help.”

“Heck yeah.” Emily nodded and chuckled.

She was willing to give Andrew another chance, but she wasn’t going to let everything slide that easily.

“I-I know it's selfish for me to say this now.” Ana suddenly grew quieter. “But I really want you two to be friends again.” Ana said to Emily’s surprise. “I know, I know, I’ve been avoiding Andrew as well so I’m a bit of a hypocrite. But it’s not fun to know that my two best friends are fighting.”

Ana felt two arms wrapping around her in a hug, and then they wrapped even tighter as they seemed to want to squash the life out of her.

“Milly- You’re squishing me.”

“I don’t care.” Emily’s smile grew wider as she continued to squeeze tighter.

She knew Ana was someone strong enough to overcome any obstacle with time. Physical, mental or otherwise. But sometimes even the near-perfect Ana needed a hug.

“Thanks,” Ana whispered into her ear.

“You’re welcome,” Emily said with a glint in her eye. Then she released the hug and swiveled towards the door. “Now let’s go tell that guy that I’ve got a party to prepare for.”

****

“Oh dear, we can’t have you going to the party in these clothes.”

Patrice stared at the closet in shock. Violet had moved her wardrobe to Patrice’s mansion and after she was done her aunt had insisted on checking them all. Considering how bright and glamourous her aunt was, Violet was afraid that Patrice was going to have a heart attack from the lack of colour.

“Lordy- I haven’t seen this many faded and bland colours since Ebony and Ivory. No, no, no, this won’t do at all.”

Violet shrugged at her aunt’s exclamation.

Slacks and t-shirts had been her bread and butter ever since her accident. She’d never once tried on her dresses because she’d hardly gone out. The one time she’d considered it her mother had just laughed and told her she’d never look good in them anyway.

Her thoughts wandered back to her usual playtime activity. Somehow she got the feeling that she wasn’t going to be able to play much Zodiac Online today.

“We need to find you something immediately.” Patrice’s voice broke through her dark memories and Violet looked up in surprise at her aunt. “Oh, but you’d look so lovely in a dress. Something bright and vibrant to bring out your beautiful eyes.”

“Do you really mean that?” Violet’s voice quivered as she asked the question.

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t.” Patrice didn’t notice Violet’s reaction to her words at all as she paced from side to side with her hand to her chin. “I know!” her eyes lit up and her voice boomed. “To my room!”

‘If I grow to be half as spontaneous as she is maybe it’ll do me some good.’ Violet brought her hands to the wheels of her chair to move herself out of the room.

Then she felt her wheelchair jolt as a pair of hands grabbed onto the handles at the back of it. “Here, let me get that for you, dear.”

“Thanks.” Violet’s voice was quiet as she felt her wheelchair moving.

It felt nice to have someone else moving her for once.

Violet’s room was on the mansion's first floor. Her grandfather had helped Patrice place accessibility ramps all around the mansion before they’d even come to pick up Violet. Even though she was only staying with her aunt temporarily, they had pulled no stops in making things easier for Violet. But the real kicker was the elevator. She didn’t know how wealthy her family was, but Patrice’s mansion already had one installed.

Everything was so much more accommodating in this place. It was making her feel the warmth of a home that she hadn’t felt in a long time.

The moment they exited the room, two middle-aged women and a girl Violet's age converged on them, with Patrice shaking her head as one tried to take over moving Violet. Each one had a red and blue maid uniform instead of a black and white one. Violet suspected her aunt had changed their uniforms on purpose because when she’d visited her grandfather, it had been all normal. Normal compared to what she’d imagined from television at least.

'Maids. Real-life maids.'

Violet shook her head in wonder. She still couldn’t get used to the eccentricities of her family’s lifestyle. The girls did everything Patrice and Violet wanted. Not to mention it was as though there were helpers around twenty-four-seven in case Violet had any issues.

She didn’t know what her mother had done to get herself kicked out of this lifestyle but she bet the woman regretted it. She’d wanted to ask her grandfather when she'd met him, but her aunt let her know that it wasn’t a good idea. Apparently, the family didn’t want to discuss the matter at all.

“Oh yes, yes.” They finally arrived on the second floor, and Violet could feel her aunt radiating happiness.

However, instead of turning towards Patrice’s room her aunt wheeled her over to another door that she’d never gone through before. She hadn’t done much exploring out of respect for her aunt but it also didn’t help that the mansion was so big that she’d need an entire day to explore it all. The backyard alone had almost caused her to fall out of her wheelchair in shock. The maids even had their own houses. Not just one house for them all, individual ones for each maid.

Patrice let Violet push herself the final few steps as she went to open the door with a smile. “You’ll soon see that this is the room where dreams come true. I hope you come to love it as much as I do.”

“Oh. My. God.” Violet let out an uncharacteristic gasp as she took in the room's contents.

Clothes. Lots and lots of brightly coloured clothes.

‘It all makes sense now.’ Violet had been wondering how her aunt seemed to change into half a dozen different outfits throughout the day when meeting guests.

This entire room was like a mini-warehouse filled with outfits. Shirts, dresses, and pieces of clothing that Violet couldn’t even figure out. There were types of clothes in here that she’d never even knew existed. And that was all just from her first glance.

And then the realisation hit Violet that her aunt was going to be picking her dress out for her grandfather’s party. Her aunt. The woman that was so gaudy that she dragged every eye in the room towards her wherever she walked.

‘Please don’t make me dress up like her.’ Violet silently begged the maids and they gave her a pitying look.

She loved all the things her aunt was doing for her but she couldn’t stand the flashy clothing style Patrice had.

‘I’ll end up looking like a discount princess from Walmart.’ Violet felt a sense of dread at the thought.

“Oh yes, yes, yes.” Patrice’s eyes flashed with anticipation as she pulled out a lemon-yellow dress. “That'll do nicely. Why- I’ll have you know my sense of fashion is highly sought after from here to Dubai.” Patrice flashed Violet a smile and brought out the dress in its full glory. “Those celebrities and game players will have a field day when they see you.”

Violet blinked her eyes in surprise. From the way her aunt dressed she’d been expecting glitter, and colours bright enough to blind her. And buttons. Lots and lots of buttons. But the dress Patrice picked out looked nothing like her imagination. It was actually very plain.

It looked like a simpler version of the dress Belle had worn in Beauty and the Beast.

“Ha!” Patrice exclaimed happily at Violet’s expression. “You thought I was going to dress you up like me? Oh deary you have no idea how much I would adore the twin look, but I know what I am and how I dress isn’t for everyone. I would never force it on you.”

Patrice brought the dress over for Violet to explore. Violet took it in her hands and admired it. She’d never even imagined something like this for herself. She had no idea what they made it from but it felt nice.

“That’s a smile.” Patrice’s eyes glittered as she saw Violet’s expression.

"Was I smiling?" Violet hadn’t even noticed it.

It had been automatic.

“Yes, you were,” Patrice responded as she saw Violet’s confusion. “And that’s why this dress is perfect for you. You don’t need something that’ll take too much attention away from your eyes and lips. You’ll captivate everyone with that dazzling smile.”

Patrice tilted head thoughtfully.

“Right after we take you to the makeup room of course.”

Violet stared at her aunt.

“Makeup room?

****

Howard Greiche stared at the gathering of people before him. Each one wearing clothing and accessories worth a small fortune. The best of the best that he could gather, all under one roof.

“Have you sent out all the invitations?”

This was the last point they were going through. His granddaughter’s arrival into his life was as sudden as it was unexpected, but he intended to make sure that nothing could go wrong during her return party. It was a gathering for potential players and teams that they could sponsor going into Zodiac Online. The game had boomed in popularity more than any other on the market, and it would be a good business decision to jump on board now.

That was the official explanation at least.

His associates all sighed as they saw his expression. They knew exactly where he was going with this, and they knew they couldn't do anything to stop him. To the outside world, Howard Greiche was a cold and calculating businessman, a genius who cut down anyone that got in his way. But the people close to him knew his true personality.

He was an unashamed doting parent and an even more doting grandparent. He took any excuse he could to celebrate his family and shower them with lavish gifts and praises. He was the kind of man who hired twenty dancers and an elephant for a tea gathering. His flamboyant parties and actions put his daughter Patrice to shame. There hadn't been a single member of his family and close friend group that hadn't been a victim of his vigorous shenanigans.

“Good.” He turned to his computer and straightened his back. “Dismissed.”

He heard the shuffling of shoes on the carpet as his associates went their separate ways. He could tell they’d been uncomfortable with the impromptu meeting and the place it was being held. It wasn’t often that he invited people to his mansion, let alone his personal study room.

But one figure stayed where they were.

“Father, I want to speak to you.” His voice was cold as he gazed at his dad’s back.

“Edward?” Howard swiveled around and an expression of glee appeared on his face.

It was a completely different person than the one that had been so commanding to his associates only a few minutes ago. This was Howard Greiche, doting father and flamboyant billionaire.

“My dear son, how long has it been since we’ve talked in private!” Howard gushed and ran forward towards Edward, leaping into a hug. His son eyed him cautiously and ducked out of the way of his father’s hands, dodging the hug with trained precision. “Oh come now, don’t be mean to your old man. Tell papa what you need.”

“It’s about my sister’s daughter.”

Howard turned silent. Out of the four siblings, only Patrice still said Daedrie’s name. The rest only referred to her as ‘my sister’. It was a habit he wasn’t happy about, but he respected that they couldn’t return to the way they once were. What she’d done had been too impactful on them.

Especially Edward.

“I don’t like that she is being allowed to return to the main family so easily.” Edward was blunt in his words. “If she takes after my sister, then bringing her in will only cause issues. I won’t have my son put in danger becaus-”

“Edward.”

Edward’s body stiffened as he heard his father’s voice turning low and cold. Howard Greiche was many things, but he was never a person to cross when angry.

Howard Greiche stared down at his desk. There, for everyone to see, was a picture of his four children, smiling happily together as a group.

He looked at his estranged daughter. She had been such a disappointment to the family line. Even if she had no stomach for competition and no fire inside her heart that made her want to reach the top, he still would have accepted her with open arms. It was unfortunate that she had instead gotten greedy and tried to sabotage her own family to try and gain herself an easy way to power and reputation. He would never have imagined that she would even treat her own daughter so terribly.

But now he could at least help Violet.

“No. There will be no questioning her return. She is nothing like her mother.” He had seen the fire in Violet’s eyes when he’d met her and mentioned Zodiac Online. His granddaughter wasn’t anything like her mother. She was someone who had passion coursing through her veins. “She reminds me of myself.”

Edward stared at his father. Howard wasn’t going to change his mind about this matter. But Edward’s face still held onto its dissatisfaction.

“Very well.”

Edward turned around and made his way through the door.

“But no matter what you say, I will test her. And after she fails, if you won’t do anything about her, then I will.”