“Hey King, go to the prom with me?”

“Why are you asking me? Everyone knows you like Lisa!”

“Guh, everyone?!”

"Yes, everyone!"

“King, King, if I pay you $300 will you go with me?”

“I’m not that cheap John.”

“$400?”

“John, you’re cute enough, just go ask a girl who WANTS to go with you!”

“Arg, it’s an honor to take a hit from the King!”

“K- K- K- K-ing!”

“Hm? Ricky? Is this for me?”

Ricky was holding a small flower out to her and sweating buckets. He nodded his head so hard it looked like it might fall off.

“If you’re asking me to go to the prom…” She sighed without finishing.

“N-n-n-no! Just— just wanted to give it to you!”

Surprised, she smiled. “If that’s the case—” She reached out and took the flower. “-thank you very much.”

His whole face turned bright red and then he ran away. She watched him knock into several other students in the hallway and laughed slightly.

At 18 years old, with prom right around the corner, every boy was scrambling to try and get a date. Because the school was relatively small, highschool seniors could invite their highschool juniors to the prom. Since Felicia turned 16, she’d been getting invited but refused. However, this year she was a senior and was required to attend, plus bring a date. Thus every boy knew she’d have to find a date and were throwing themselves at her.

Obviously some were more serious than others.

She was in the middle of smelling the flower she’d been given, when someone blocked her. She glanced up just long enough to see it was Travis before he pulled her to the side, out of the flow of the traffic. In the process, she lost her grip on the flower and watched helplessly as it got trampled by other students.

He leaned against the wall, practically oozing cocky self-confidence.

“Go to the prom with me Felicia.”

“No.”

His relaxed posture stiffened. As one of the hottest guys in school, he was used to having girls fall over themselves to please him. He was two years younger than her and thus only knew of her from rumors and by watching her from afar. She was beautiful and confident and he felt— the perfect match for him. The only girl truly good enough for him, in fact.

“Why?” He immediately demanded.

She looked at her well manicured nails, disinterested in him.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

“What the hell? Is it so much to ask why you’re rejecting me?”

She finally looked at him, eyebrows raised.

“Alright, if you say so. Then the reason is, I don’t like guys like you.”

His spine turned rigid and his face flushed.

“What do you mean, guys like me?”

“Arrogant, self-interested guys who think they deserve the best of everything without having earned it are worthless in my eyes.” She shrugged as he stared at her, dumbfounded by her words, “Frankly, turning you down is doing you a favor. You need at least one person in your life to tell you no.”

Usually Felicia wouldn’t have been so brutal, but Travis had it coming. He was a bully. His parents spoiled him to a degree that was borderline abusive and then life let him win the genetic lottery on top of everything else. Because he had money and looks, people tended to give him whatever he wanted. Either because they were trying to get something from him, or they were scared of making him angry.

And finally, Travis was the guy the host originally had a massive crush on.

That’s right, this was the scumbag that convinced the ever-obedient Felicia King to disobey her Mother and attend a sketchy party. The same sketchy party where Felicia King was drugged and raped multiple times. Which eventually led to Mr. King dying of a heart attack and later Felicia King committing suicide.

This overgrown conceited brat was the only other person she hated as much as Kim. Fortunately, unlike Kim, her host’s attachment to Travis was thin. The most Felicia felt was an animal attraction towards Travis, but that was all. After years of raising her host’s intelligence through reading and study, the host wasn’t so willing to follow “the course of nature” and run heedlessly into danger.

Felicia really hated this guy.

It was a shame that DARS said Travis' fate couldn’t be changed. His parent’s wealth were on par with Mr. King’s and this was part of the reason Mr. King had gotten so angry in the original timeline. There was no way for him to get the justice his daughter deserved. The people he was up against were just as wealthy and connected as he was and he couldn’t beat them.

Travis was so egotistical at this point that nothing Felicia said to him would change his personality. His impressionable age, where some character growth could have occurred and resulted in a decent person, had long since passed. His scumbag nature was thoroughly entrenched.

As for his reputation… Felicia could only express her extreme disdain of him to others. The girls in her circle of contacts had stopped talking about Travis altogether, just to avoid listening to one of Felicia’s rants. Everyone knew she hated Travis.

People in her grade who’d grown up with her distanced themselves from Travis, thinking there must be something seriously wrong with him to elicit such hatred. But the others, those from “outside”, weren’t much affected by her opinion. To them, he was hot and rich and good in sports, what was her problem?

Travis was only vaguely aware she wasn’t interested in him. No one dared to say to his face he was actively hated by her, only hinting she wasn’t into him. He didn’t believe it, only thinking because their classrooms were on opposite ends of the buildings, the physical distance was why she didn’t approach him.

And that was why, despite Felicia never showing even the tiniest interest in Travis, he had the gaul to stand before her and ask her to the prom.

Rather than being embarrassed, like a sensible person might at getting rejected so soundly, Travis got angry.

He slammed his fist onto the wall he’d been leaning into and leaned over her threateningly.

“You think because you’re a little pretty and your Dad’s rich you can talk to me that way?”

Felicia glanced to the side of him, paused, and looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Actually, there’s one more reason.”

He leaned down further until she could feel his breathing, “And what’s that?”

“Him.”

The same moment she spoke a hand gripped Travis’ shoulder and roughly pulled him away.

“What do you think you’re doing to my sister?” Darius spoke in a smooth unruffled way and his face was indifferent, but his grip on Travis’ shoulder wasn’t gentle and his body language was threatening.

Darius was the only competition Travis had in the school in terms of looks, wealth, and athletic ability. And unlike Travis, Darius was genuinely smart and got consistently high scores. That put him slightly above Travis in terms of overall popularity.

Travis hated him for it.

“Hah!” Travis was already angry, and now Darius had showed up, further infuriating him. “What do you care what I’m doing with your sister? You her Dad? Or….” He snickered evilly, “...are you jealous a guy is hitting on her? Want her all to yourself maybe?”

A small crowd had formed to watch the drama. Hearing his words, they all gasped in shock.

“What?” He sneered and glanced at the rubberneckers knowingly. “You’ve all thought it before! They aren’t blood-related, their parents are different! Wouldn’t it be weird if they really thought they were siblings? He lives with a hot chick day in and day out, why wouldn’t he be interested in her?”

Felicia was so angry her whole body was vibrating. She wanted to hit him so bad, but she couldn’t. Physical violence wasn’t tolerated in this school. No matter what he said, if she was the first to take a swing, she’d get the lion’s share of the punishment.

Darius, however, remained completely unruffled. He looked at his sister very seriously and asked, “Are you a hot chick?”

Everyone froze, not expecting him to ask that. Even Travis blinked in confusion.

Felicia suddenly laughed, feeling the anger drain out of her.

Acting coquettishly, she gave a mischievous smile. “The hottest bird in the sky, baby!”

Darius furrowed his brow.

“I don’t see it.”

She stomped her foot, pretending to be offended, “That’s because you’re blind!”

There was a slight titter from the crowd.

“Mmm… Heather Brenner is petite, with a bigger chest, and a better leg to body ratio than you.”

Felicia scowled and folded her arms across her supposedly smaller chest.

“I don’t want to hear how you have the hots for Heather Brenner. Again! Ugh!”

“Her temper is also a lot better than yours.”

“Shut up, my temper is fine!”

The crowd openly laughed this time. If Felicia was a smoking hot babe, Heather Brenner was an adorable, innocent flower. While Felicia was confident and witty, Heather was gentle and polite. Because they were different kinds of beauty and temperament, no one really compared them to each other.

But thinking about it, no matter how beautiful Felicia might be, Darius had been dragged around by the nose by her since as far back as anyone could remember. If she was like that at school, what must she be like at home?

Seeing his attempt to ruin the siblings had been countered, Travis flushed angrily. He went to open his mouth when Darius squeezed his vice gripe, fingers digging into the younger man’s shoulder, causing an enormous amount of pain.

While everyone was laughing at Felicia and distracted, Darius whispered to Travis, “Right now the only thing saving you is the audience. If you want to be on the football team next year, consider your next words carefully.”

Travis had never been hurt by someone else, much less so blatantly threatened. The pain in his shoulder made him want to cry but the look in Darius’ eyes… that was genuinely terrifying. They were calm, like he was talking about the weather. Instinctively, Travis knew Darius wasn’t joking or putting on a front.

He suddenly remembered something one of his dorm-mates had told him on his first week of arrival, ‘That Darius King guy is weird. He’ll say some scary stuff to your face without even blinking. I heard once someone messed with his sister and he said he’d break his leg for it like he was ordering breakfast. The guy didn’t believe him, but a week later he came to school with his leg in a cast and wouldn’t tell anyone how it happened. If Darius ever says something scary, don’t take it lightly just because he looks calm.’

At the time Travis had brushed him off. Darius spent most of his time alone and, unless someone talked to him, he never sought conversation. Wasn’t he just a shy dweeb with a handsome face? That kind of person was a push over!

But now Travis understood. He understood in his bones that the warning he’d been given had been 100% correct.

“I..” Travis' voice squeaked, causing him to clear his throat. “I was just joking. Jeesh, can’t anyone in this school take a joke?”

Darius raised his eyebrows slightly.

“Is that so?”

“Y—yeah, of course!”

Darius let go of him and Travis immediately got out of arm’s reach. He rubbed his shoulder, the pain in it causing him to momentarily forget his fear.

He spit out vengefully, “Who needs your ugly sister anyway? You like Heather Brenner? I’ll ask HER to the prom then!”

Before Darius could do anything or anyone else could say anything to him, he made a hasty retreat.

The crowd all watched him flee and thought together: What a sore loser!

Darius stood there, a look of perplexion on his face, and asked to no one in particular, “Heather Brenner is in my year and he’s a junior, how can he ask her to the prom?”

Hearing this the crowd burst out laughing even louder than before.

“Hey King, seriously, who are you going to the prom with?” Someone in the crowd couldn’t help themselves and asked.

Felicia looked thoughtful and then brightened, “Daddy!”

“Your Dad?!”

“Isn’t he old enough to be a grandpa?”

“And this was my last chance… hopeless, hopeless...”

“That’s the King for you, breaking hearts right and left!”

“With ruthlessness like that, are you sure she’s not a tyrant?”

“Come on King, it’s the last year to go! Why waste it on your Dad?!”

“Hey, don’t say it’s a waste! Daddy is the most handsome man in the world!”

“Yeah, yeah…” Came the disbelieving crowd’s response.

They immediately dispersed, knowing that this Daddy’s girl was impossible to talk sense into.

After everyone left, Darius walked over.

“Are you really asking Dad to the prom?”

Felicia shrugged, “Who else can I ask? I don’t like any of the boys here.”

“It’s just the prom… does it matter if you like them?”

She raised her eyebrow, “It’s rude to go with someone you don’t at least consider your friend.”

He was silent for a moment.

“Then who will I ask?”

“Don’t you like Heather Brenner?”

“Just for her looks.”

Felicia stared at him, speechless. This guy!

“You can ask a girl if you think she’s pretty.”

“Oh. Can’t you ask a guy for the same reason?”

“The only one handsome enough is Travis and he’s just…” She wrinkled her nose. If only her host didn’t still have a passing interest in Travis, she could confidently say no one was handsome enough.

“Ah.” Darius nodded in understanding. “Dad will be happy.”

“Heh, yeah.”

“Mom won’t be though.”

“Ugh, what’s her opinion matter!?”

“It doesn’t matter to me, but it does to you.”

She pursed her lips.

Kim had been bugging her about what guy she was taking to the prom. There’d been a steady pressure from Kim about Felicia’s dating life… or the lack thereof. If it weren’t for the fact that Mr. King thought dating before graduating was a bad idea, Kim would probably have been a lot more forceful. As it was, Felicia was worried the moment she graduated Kim would try setting her up with dates.

“What do you think? When should I bring it up? The dinner table or breakfast?”

Darius looked thoughtful.

“Send him an invitation through the mail. Hmm… to his work.”

“What? Why?”

“Because it’ll make it feel more special. You know how sentimental he is, he’ll stare at it all day. If he imagines you sitting down and wrote him an invitation like that… even if Mom objects later, he’ll still agree to go.”

She snapped her fingers and admired Darius. “You’re a genius!”

“You only realize it now?”

Instead of responding, she rolled her eyes.

Darius was absolutely right. Mr. King practically glowed with joy upon receiving his “special invitation” to his daughter’s prom. When Kim found out she was absolutely livid and tried to talk him out of it. But no matter what Kim said, Mr. King would see his daughter’s handwritten invitation and go soft. He couldn’t bear turning her down.

And because Mr. King was the final word in the family, Kim could only purse her lips and suck it up. The prom dress she’d initially been gung-ho about “helping” Felicia buy, was totally forgotten.

Felicia almost cried for joy. This was the first time she could buy a dress in the style and color she wanted! For 18 years she’d been forced to agree with whatever horrible trending outfit Kim decided would look good on her daughter. Felicia had almost forgotten what it was like to shop for clothes and have fun while doing it.

Though Darius had also been asked to go to the prom by several senior girls, he turned them down. He disliked crowded, noisy places. Instead, he would stay home and work on perfecting the GUI he’d created last year. He’d given a copy to several computer enthusiasts at school, who functioned as beta testers, giving him regular feedback and bug-reports. This was far more interesting than drinking too-sweet punch juice and dancing to loud music.

Damien King dressed in his best suite and wore a tie that his daughter had given him for one of his birthdays years ago. When Felicia came down in her empire line shaped single-strapped gown, with its soft layers of knee length cloth flowing around her pale legs, everyone but Darius was stunned. Kim was stiff with indignation, understanding perfectly well her daughter had bought an outfit that Kim wouldn’t have approved of. Mr. King, on the other hand, thought his daughter was so beautiful he actually cried.

Darius had no opinion at all, only supplying his most generic compliment for girls in such situations, “You look nice.”

Felicia was the only girl crazy enough to actually bring her Dad to the prom. Those who didn’t know her that well spent a solid minute staring at her like she’d grown a second head. Felicia did the first dance with Mr. King, which happened to be a nice slow one, but after that it was all fast music that he wasn’t familiar with.

Without Mr. King for her dance partner, Felicia decided to find a random boy and pull him in for a dance. Since she wasn’t attracted to anyone in particular, except for the one guy she hated, she decided to dance with the boys who were either currently alone or looked shy.

What? She knew she was gorgeous. Why not give them a great memory for an event that would otherwise be viewed with embarrassment or quickly forgotten? Whether they were good dancers or bad dancers, she didn’t care at all. Her goal was to have fun, so she did.

On the way out of the dance hall, she noticed Mr. King sweating far more than was normal. When she saw him grip his left arm in discomfort her whole body tensed.

“Daddy, Daddy, are you alright?”

“Hm? What?” Mr. King spoke distractedly.

“Daddy, are you feeling unwell? Does your chest hurt? Are you dizzy?”

Mr. King looked at her surprise, “How did you—?”

But he didn’t finish, a coughing fit overtaking him, he stumbled, falling to his knees.

“DADDY!” Felicia screeched.

“I’m— I’m fine—” He managed to speak through his coughing.

“You’re not fine Daddy!”

The teenagers who’d been leaving heard the disturbance and walked over.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

“Mr. King? Is he alright?”

“Hey, hey, where’s the teacher— get the teacher—”

“Don’t get the teacher! CALL AN AMBULANCE!” Felicia roared, furious at how they were fluttering around uselessly while Mr. King was on the verge of death.

The crowd froze for a moment before a few immediately disbursed to do as she said.

Mr. King had completely fallen over at this point.

“Daddy, Daddy— stay with me!” Felicia started speaking in a panic as he lost consciousness. Pulling his body straight and checking for a pulse, she frantically tried to remember her CPR training.

Later that night, she stood in a hospital, her face white as a sheet of paper. Kim was there, talking to a doctor or someone, Felicia didn’t know or care. Darius was watching, a confused look on his face.

‘He died.’

[Yes.]

‘If… if I hadn’t danced with him…’

[It was his fate to die.]

‘Who cares about fate?!’

[At least this time, he did not die angry.]

She abruptly sat down at a nearby hospital chair. Sad and frustrated, she covered her face while the tear rolled freely down her cheeks.

‘I hate you DARS, I hate you so much.’

[...]

“Fee.”

Felicia glanced up at Darius' voice.

“The Doctors said Dad is dead.”

She couldn’t respond, only making a choking sound in reply.

“Where…. Where do people go when they die, Fee?”

Felicia stared blankly at him for a moment. Where DID people go? Considering her own experience, it was clear that people didn’t just disappear into nothing when they died…

Licking her salty lips, she spoke through a trembling mouth, “When people die, their souls are free.”

“They’re free?”

“Y—yeah. Free to go… I don’t know… heaven, maybe, hell too.”

“Where did Dad go?”

Felicia was silent and then decided to be shameless, speaking to DARS despite having just told him she hated him.

‘DARS, where do souls go when they die?’

[In this universe, they are judged by God. They go to heaven or hell based on his judgement.]

‘...there’s really a heaven or hell?! I was just guessing...’

[In most places it is like that.]

‘Where… where did Mr. King go then?’

[Apologies. That is information I do not have.]

‘How do you know there’s a heaven and hell but not which one Mr. King went to?’

DARS circumferences throbbed. [That information is res—]

‘ARG, SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! This is why I hate you!’

DARS three dots turned to a single dot. Without a further word, he floated all the way to the other side of the room, to a corner. Though it was hard to tell, he looked like he might be sulking.

Felicia didn’t want to deal with him anymore and focused on Darius instead.

“Heaven, I’d like to think.”

“But you don’t know?”

She sighed, “Dee, heaven or hell, only the people themselves know for sure which they deserve. For us people left behind, we’re just guessing.”

Darius stared off in the distance, brow furrowed and clearly thinking.

“How do you know heaven or hell or souls even exist?”

Felicia gave a wobbly, teary laugh.

“You’re just gonna have to trust your big sis on this, I know.”

He blinked several times before he looked back at her. His confusion was gone and his face clear once again.

“I believe you.”

The funeral was held a week later. Because Mr. King was a big name in his industry, the crowd was huge. Speeches were made, tears were shed. Kim managed to look both extremely sad and beautiful at the same time. Felicia simply stood there, her face deathly pale and her eyes red.

Darius did not cry. His face was totally serene, not looking the slightest bit perturbed by what was going on around him. At other times, Felicia would have warned him to at least PRETEND to look sad, but in that moment she was too busy actually being sad to give advice to anyone, much less Darius.

People who weren’t close to Mr. King but knew him only through business, saw his son’s behavior and frowned. Mr. King always spoke so highly of his children, but look at this son of his! Didn’t even look sad!

Unknowingly, Darius gained his first reputation in the professional business world as “being a boy with no heart”.