I'm not feeling as irritable today and I'm ready to carry on. Please excuse my absence...

The next day when Emery went into the study room to begin his lessons he was surprised to see a stranger sitting at the desk that was usually occupied by Mrs. Tigglework. Confused, he backed out of the room slowly and called for Tabitha.

"Tabitha who is that? Where's Mrs. Tigglework?" He asked her.

Tabitha put on a melancholy expression as one might put a tablecloth on a table,

"I'm sorry to tell you this Emery but Mrs. Tigglework passed away last night."

Emery was shocked. Mrs. T was the only tutor he had ever known despite their lack of closeness. He was unsure whether he was upset because he barely knew her. He responded to Tabitha calmly,

"That's too bad,"

"Yes, it is quite unfortunate. The lady in the study room will be your new tutor, Trina" Tabitha told him.

Emery did not care that much that his tutor was changed but he could not help but wonder what had caused her death. The lady had seemed perfectly healthy before her death but perhaps his perception of healthiness was off. His curiosity got the best of him so he asked his nanny,

"How did Mrs. T die? Was she sick?"

Tabitha could not help but smile at this. The poor boy knew nothing. Emery was so innocent, she loved that about him.

"I think it was just old age kiddo," she lied easily.

Emery knew that people died from old age often but he also knew that his tutor was not that old. It was from this information that Emery began to feel offput. He suddenly knew that something was going on. He knew that the something was not to be celebrated but he didn't know what it was.

"Oh," he replied with a small nod.

Ending their little exchange, Emery went back into the study room to begin his work with Trina.

Trina was totally different than Mrs. T. For one, she was far younger. Trina seemed to be in her early twenties whereas Mrs. T was middle-aged. Trina had short mahogany curls that paired well with her olive skin tone. She had large hazel eyes that seemed to take in everything surrounding her. She appeared to be of average size but what stood out were the bulging muscles of her arms. Emery's nervousness increased when he noticed the obvious coiled strength that Trina possessed. Her small button nose and round face paired with her frowning plump lips gave her the appearance of some sort of hybrid bulldog.

Beside her chilling outer appearance, something else stood out to Emery. Trina watched him the way that Tabitha did. At first he took it as her somehow wanting to be protective of her new student but as time progressed he came to realize that wasn't the case.

On afternoon, after lessons, Emery was retiring to the kitchen for a snack when Tabitha called out to him,

"Trina's spending the night today! Isn't that great?"

Emery did not think it was great, he had grown to dislike Trina. He was wary of the way she looked at him. She looked at him like Tabitha did. Her eyes followed his every move and when he did anything like sneeze or cough or stretch she seemed to shiver. Before and after every sentence she said, she licked her lips, which made Emery shiver in disgust.

When Tabitha told him that his tutor was spending the night he panicked,

"Well what if she doesn't like it here or she misses home or-

Tabitha cut him off,

"Don't worry about it bud, we're all friends here,"

That was that, Trina, who hadn't even left, came out of the study room with bags Emery hadn't noticed during his lesson. He was confused as to why his tutor needed four bags when she was only staying one night but he didn't question it.

After getting him settled in bed, Tabitha retreated to her room with Trina. Even though they had said they were going to bed, he could hear them murmuring throughout the night.

Tabitha called him to the kitchen to make an announcement early in the morning; she said it was very important. It was after the announcement that Emery knew his life would never be the same,

"Trina is moving in with us until further notice! Isn't that great?"

Emery's body drained of all blood when he heard the news. It wasn't great. It wasn't great at all. He wanted to run away. But he knew there would be nowhere for him to go. He wanted to call his parents but he knew they wouldn't answer him. He knew he was alone and no one would save him from the upcoming nightmare.

At that moment Trina decided to enter the kitchen, she looked at Tabitha and they seemed to communicate some hidden message. She then looked at Emery, her face showed apology, her eyes showed triumph. The combination did not seem well-paired and gave Emery shivers.

Everyday was filled with Tabitha and Trina. They chattered nonstop and he saw them 24/7, there was no escape. This continued and it seemed like there would be no alternance in Emery's everyday life pattern until one fateful day.

A phone call. That was it. A phone call was all it took to change the Emery forever. He went from a lonely 14-year-old to a teen broken without hope for repair. He knew he would never forget the contents of that call.

"Hello?"

I am again apologizing for cutting the story short. My family is still pestering me; they say I am not eating enough and that I should go outside for some fresh air. I don't want to leave the comfort of my artificial air but I am going to go find a tree in the backyard to hide in. Salutations good sir.

Your waiting recipient,

Pudding