#Wipes memories and family relations and changes the last name! So I'll have to go in with SimPE to change his name back once I'm there

[vargaslovinghours]

Y’all are being subjected to my Sims 2 tests, so there

The other set of Vargases came over for a visit and Scriabin picked up Shmee and started talking to Scriabin through him. Very normal, very usual

I downloaded some circle-glasses recolours and hghghh they look so good! Closer every day to his final details! Getting ever closer!

Edgar too! I made him a custom hair with a lighter undercut - I’m mostly happy with it, probably could’ve shifted it a shade closer to his skintone but the texturing was weird no matter what :P And his stripey shirt! I wish Body Shop didn’t have that hands-on-hips pose lol, it looks so much better in-game, but that’s all the better :)

I got some new clothes for Todd as well! As soon as I saw this ‘fit I was like “Oh that’s 100% Todd there he is.” Scriadad hug ♥ So cute

Foot-dancing together stopp it’s so cute!!

The way he looks at them stoppp <3 <3 They kept doing this right up til they left for home haha, Todd’s giggles are the cutest

Used SimPE to save him to the Body Shop, I now have infinite copies of The Boyyyy ♪

Moved him in with his “parents” as just shadow people basically, they’re not gonna matter in a bit as long as I remember how to get the Social Worker/Adoption process to work properly. Get her Todd!!

Wanna play? :D

Menacing :(

Look, Todd, your new dads are here! Initially I wasn’t sure who I wanted to adopt him, got lots of options; the first passes, the married couple with their own Todd, Johnny?? He definitely doesn’t have the facilities for a child lol But these are the ones that showed up on their own, so the married Vargases are the winners!

Scriabin cares more about him than his actual parents ;; A stranger off the street shows him more care! Not that it’s a high watermark

Look at him being a good dad!

Weh, he just wants friends ;; Poor baby

Best timeline, thank you

While we wait for CPS, let’s get some other interactions in! Nny is mean so he tended to prank the other two with a nose flick - mostly Edgar lol ♪ Now kiss

“Oh please don’t break all my bones~ :3” I love Todd looking up at them haha <3

Pffft, I think he was talking about the other Scriabin and just how attractive he is. Classic Scriabin. Alternatively, also funny to imagine him bragging himself up about how he’s just so handsome that Edgar can’t help but love him hahaha ♪

Allow me to tickle you with my KNIFE! >:D

Get a load of this guy lol

He ended up passing out at one point - I forgot which motives make CPS show up >.> - and completely 0%’d his comfort, but for some reason stargazing increased it?? It’s the same ground wh

Is two not enough to satisfy your butterfly bloodlust child?? He ended up with three, I had him release them before he was picked up by the Social Worker - success!

He rolled a new Want as soon as Todd was taken away - “Wants to see Ghost of Todd” Woah, dark! :0

And here he is on the married Vargases’ lot!! Success!! I did it right!! Heck yeah! :D Unfortunately they were uh, indisposed at the time. Good job guys pft

Goes right for Shmee, he really is Todd <3

#The Sims 2 #My queue is too backlogged on main! And I /have/ been working on a lot of Vargas-specific Sims 2 retextures so it's fine lol #These are still tests - as said up top lol - so these events are ''non canon'' to what will eventually be my actual Vargas family #The beats will be similar tho! It's mostly just a lot of tweaking at this point to get everything just where I want before the domino falls #Edgar Nny and Todd are all so close to done - Scriabin still needs a bit more work lol of course he's the problem member ♪ #It'll be worth it tho! >:3c Handsome lad <3 #Did find out some interesting things with the Social Worker/Adoption process :0 Most importantly that adoption basically wipes everything #Wipes memories and family relations and changes the last name! So I'll have to go in with SimPE to change his name back once I'm there #I love SimPE haha ♪ I mean it's just an extension of how much I love TS2 but I just ughsjkhagf it's a good program! #It's extremely powerful and easy to get lost in if you don't know where to look but it's also incredibly user-friendly if you do know #Like - it's as easy as ''Open this sub-menu. Click this button. Rename this. You're all done'' it's just jdsflf Sims 2 my beloved <3 <3 #I decided to cheat down the Casils' relationship with Todd before everything else - thus why his father is menacing him for the prank #I've seen Sims with not high enough friendship to not take a water balloon as a fun invitation but not between a parent and child! #It's subtle but the parent being mad and the kid cowering :( It's sadly appropriate for Todd #I stuck the Casils in a box to wait things out and they ended up glitching frozen in bed - they're effectively dead by Motive but can't move #So they can't die /or/ live - feels fitting #If you'd like to recreate CPS taking your child away without straight up torturing them! - Hunger. You just need hunger lol #Alternately you can also have them miss class if you'd prefer to feed them - both will result in being taken away after long enough #If I return to this save it's gonna be confusing since both Todds are identical and have the same names lol #I do have a bunch of new clothes! Second shopping trip :D #There's something oddly fitting for the Vargases to adopt twin/clones lol - fun shenaniganary until the Final Version comes to pass #Although now that I think of it I Could also give them a toddler!Todd hmmmmmm #It's an idea :)

[whybaddecisions]

To the one that got away:

It was winter when she first came to picture, I was just an ordinary guy that worked abroad didn't know what to do no goal, ambition, or even dreams if I can consider it, Was making money but I can't feel satisfaction while doing it soulless and partially lifeless in the process, before I came home I was in a long distance relationship with someone from France and everything worked out just fine but eventually we lacked personal intimacy, to the point that were not even trying to communicate with each other just went with our days without even saying "Hi" or "Good morning" to be honest I thought that she would be the one for me and I'll be the one for her, I was greatly mistaken to have thought that, because if u truly wish someone to be with you till your last breath it must have the right amount of perseverance, the strive to push forward and not to quit and fight! One day we came to an agreement that the thing we have isn't working out anymore, so we broke up decided to be friends, just like that in a snap of a finger she was gone and so am I.

I know that it's rough on both of us but on the other hand it felt that the chemistry wasn't there anymore so it's better to leave that be.

After a month I decided to focus more on my career first since I'm waiting for my agency to call and kick me out of the country again but with a new job on a cruise ship around Us and Europe, while waiting i knew that my brother knows a lot of people here in the Philippines that has a company related to my forte so I asked him

"Man do you know anyone in the industry looking for a waiter?"

He told me that there was one here in Batangas and she was a good friend of his.

"yeah I know a place just a 5 min drive from here"

So I was excited cuz I'm going to work my ass off and forget what has happened.

So there it was "TRICIA'S" name of the workplace my brother told me about, and on December 17, 2019 I started there as a waiter, it was an open house bar kinda rowdy but in a good way but damn do these kids party hard! My shift was from 4pm to 4am and it was messy as hell always but I had fun in the process.

Then that faithful day came to place, all the stars were aligned and the soothing falling of leaves was upon me, I didn't expect any less from that day than any day cause for me it was just goin to turn out as an ordinary day, but then u came and I saw you with my best friend. 🙏 well I couldn't care less at first if u talk to me or not, but the first time you shut me down is when you were passing by my side I thought that u are going to get a menu off the bar, and I was psyched and told myself "now's my chance to like give her the menu and make small talk" Then u said "No" off the bat cuz u were just going to grab that box of tissue, boo me assumer! Then I remembered u were with my best friend so time to show off I think? Like provide them with the best service possible, bring the drinks on time, food must be hot, bucket of ice must be full all the time, no delay in anything like to the fullest service a server can give them, after all was served I was shocked that u said Hi and Hi again and again complimented my cologne called me by my nickname which wasn't really needed, I was shy just making a grin of my mouth just to show her I'm not bothered, but I'm to the fullest extent cause I already asked for ur name, checked u out on Facebook through my best friend that's why I was shy.

The u guys left. And I asked my bff

"should I add her on FB? What ya think?"

She replied with so much enthusiasm

"Gooooo! Add her, she wants to be friends with you also"

And boom it hit me like the biggest meteorite just punched through earth, I was so overwhelmed and cannot wipe the smile of my face that morning.

I'm not normal I can say that proudly in a good way of course, but if someone overwhelmed already with the thought of his/her crush wanting for them to be friends and then out of nothing she says that do you want me to bring you coffee, that would be the most awesome thing that would happen to you, you'd probably be smiling for the whole day like legitimately smiling at everyone with the upmost feeling. For me coffee is sometimes is more important than people but for what she did LFU!!! And she brought me my coffee that morning and she insisted on bringing it , on that day she already got me.

Time passed and things were going accordingly, perfectly some bumps along the way, but we were happy and contended to what we had and a few dates, I remember on the night before Christmas I was supposed to give u your present and you stood me up because of a party your family held and I understood that situation of yours, kinda sulk tho that we didn't get to meet but one of my favorite memory is when you asked me out on a date and it was Christmas, you got to meet my parents also sorry if your hills was soaked in water cuz it was pouring heavily that day. We ate at "Romantic Baboy" a Korean restaurant with unlimited pork skin, chicken strips and cheese on the sides, and you know what's my favorite part of that particular day? Is when I took a picture of you smelling a rose and thought to myself that I don't want this to end may the universe hinder us from us but I'll fight with my last breath to preserve what we have and what else will happen. Then I fucked up.

Scribbled words, nauseated, anxious, crippled, out of way, bothered, stressed,fretful,fretting, disturbed, agitated, irritated, apprehensive, to the point that I don't even want to look at myself in the mirror so disgusted to what I did, execute me if the universe wants to, the feeling of overly doubting my self worth was inevitable, brought to me by my own decisions that messed me up entirely.

Wondering what happened haunts me in the most gruesome way possible. So here it goes, I lied to her big-time which I didn't know that it was possible since I did it already not multiple times but only ONE THAT GOT ME REAL FUCKED! Is when I received a message from my longtime best friend from way back as kids, 20 years to be exact . On the message she told me

"when are you going to show urself I haven't seen u in forever"

Then I was shocked cause normally she wouldn't Pm (Private Message) like that in the past, then I told her.

"one of these days when I'm not busy cause of work"

Then she asked about my love life and u were the first in my mind so I told her about you.

"there's this girl that I'm seeing, my other best friend introduced me to her and she already met my parents last Christmas then we ate outside and we had a great time"

That's what I said then I also told her to help me find a perfect present for you.

Then on December 27, 2019 I told you that I'll be visiting a long time friend with a kid and I didn't tell you if it was a girl or a boy cause I don't want you to get angry at me but then again I should've told you that in the first place. When I was there at her house since we were long time friends we had a great time also with the kid in the picture, happy and overwhelmed at the same time, then her mother came down gave me a hug and greeted me welcome home or back to the phil, cause she hasn't seen me for over 4 years I think. After the the greetings my best friend told her mom that I'm seeing someone which is you. Well I didn't expect that she would be sly about it and drop your name so casually, so I just came right through it and said yes I'm dating this girl and she's wonderful, but her mom told me that r u taking things way to fastly you just got out of a relationship, I told them that also I was off with someone before I met you. So after they told me not to deepen anything with anyone yet, assuring that I would not get hurt cause for them I'm family also, cause her dad was the godfather of my brother that's why our families was close still to this point they are.

Then the next day came I went again to her house because I was having fun playing with her son and missed talking to her a lot, because in the longest time I had a crush on her and knowing me I couldn't seal the deal from before, but this time I thought to myself maybe this is it when she'll notice the man i have become, and you passed my memory, in me saying that I'm dating this girl and why should I break her heart? Did u deserve to be treated that way Nooooo! In fuckin million years no! But I did anyways. Without even consenting my best friend, myself and most importantly God. I messed up 😭

So then it happened the happiest'sh and the worst'sh decision in my existence trampling over someone that didn't deserve any hardships cause you were the most beautiful soul ever seen. Yeah I misunderstood the fact that she'll replace you over and over again because of the thing we had in the past like 20 years of friendship over something that just happened recently was a very wrong thought to even deliver in a person's mouth crippling fear came over me I didn't know what to do my life was in chaos lost in the path, I part take wishing it all away silently murmuring to myself that if had the power to change it all I would, I was blinded really blinded by that stumbling and staggering in every situation possible, even with work I wasn't happy anymore so I left, it's not like me to leave unprofessionally but I did cause it broke me down to my core knowing that I did something to hurt the most, I don't know if it's faith that we met or just me knocking on the door of heaven praying and longing for someone to bump in my life and there you was. But I was too blinded by the fact that I thought that she'll be the one to save me but you were there standing without flinching and with the unyielding love that a human person can give to another and I wasted it all away. Knowing that we were supposed to go to an amusement park, and guess what? That Jan 3 was the day destiny punched me in the face for me to tell you what I got in stored deep inside the dark and deep corners of my heart which was hard to let it out, but I was willing to get out of my comfort zone, break boundaries and say what I really mean.

But then again it didn't happen because of me. But why is that I don't have a perfect checklist of good things in life and almost all of it is on the bad side, really looking inside I didn't have any intention of hurting you, but when I came to see you coming from manila was one of the blurriest decision I've made cause I was going to fix everything but was still blinded, so I did see you but what I said that day when we were inside the car was all true, you mean the world to me but how dumb can a human be maybe I'm the epitome of that, knowing her and thinking she was the one was greatly poor on my side, some people are worth suffering for and I'll suffer for you anytime of the day, week, year or anywhere.

Saying this honestly you are the one with a pure heart on the other hand she also has but like only in a normal state and I thought she was a diamond but day by day she turns to coal slowly breaking and burning me in the process I don't blame her for that but knowing her I didn't expect that a shallow river is bound to drop over me and drown me, because in your eyes I saw a girl swimming in a vast ocean with many things to look after but was calm about it, and composed in a way that anything can turn out good and without harms way. Simply saying that u r different really different in a good way of course.

The self realization made it clearer than the brightest day, clarity filled up inside,b the blindness was cured and I can see far from what I saw before straightforward only walking in one path never turning right or left staying on a pace that'll last, growing abundantly in each other's presence. point here is i really know that u are the perfect illustration a right decision

I hope and pray eventually time will get us to see and feel that something happens for a reason, it's not just the way it was given but on the way it ends and begins again, hoping,praying, begging, pleading, that when that time comes even if it's on a reciprocal I will greatly cherish it and give it as grace without asking for anything in return like a river splashing water on the ground with the little weed sprouting through time, it doesn't have to be the entire ground but the important parts only, perfect timing, right alignment of stars and even if the wind blows strongly or a single rain drop I'll always bring you close by my side and wanting you to stay beside me. I just wish in time we would see each other in our arms again.

And to the one that got away.

Looking back to those days we were so happy I really wanted to tell you how much you mean to me, and the simple things u did, like looking at me with those mesmerizing eyes and the captivating depth and clarity it shown, the way you cling was warmth beyond any parka or furred jacket I've worn before saying slowly while you hug me that you'll never let go. And the way you pull your hair back showing roaring waves but calms me up to the core while the strands of your hair graze my face tingles my curiosity to kiss you in the forehead. And I never felt an urge every time you kissed me on the cheek and while you ask me to kiss you back was the sweetest tune my ears can imagine like angelic figures playing the harp or something like that. And the way we used to drive with ur friends feels like ecstasy having fun and in a euphoric way, I like seeing you laugh a lot, curse a lot at people, things or anything cause im not finding any wrong in that, because that's who you are and what you represent. Also the times we had so much fun singing those songs you recommended me. And to this particular song which made me see you in whole different level, cause you were the first one who dedicated something for me, those giggles that both of us shared is more important the . The unparralled and unrequited feeling that those gestures are simply producing, but what I say is the manifestation of genuine love is you.

[thenovelist101]

Wandered

Chapter Five

    If Vincent was told to recall his memories of education, it would be a mush of vivid memories out of context. Him getting a 100 on a test he thought he would fail, scribbling down his homework before class started, people using his paper to scribble down their homework before class started, trying not to fart too loudly in a quiet class, dozing off, laughing at a stupid remark a classmate made, making paper cubes when class went slow. All the little stuff.

     Of course it always stuck out to him that he was the only one knowing of Magic. He never told, because he would feel very much better if the class had been taught the lesson first. There had to be a lesson, right?

    School was one big building with two floors. The first floor was for all the younger classes and the top was for the older classes. Next to the building was the preschool which Mirai would have went to.  

    That was something which saddened him. It was always "If Mirai could have-" or " Mirai would have-" She was magic, and for him that was fine. Now if only everyone felt the same way...

     Vincent avoided home for one very specific reason: home was hollow. He felt a feeling of tension that was so unbearable that he would stay out as long as possible until he could come home, have a curt conversation with his parents, and talk to his sister. Then he would go to bed and do it again.

     What he would do with his outside time was make things.

     A part of Vincent's craftsmanship skill was that he could continue getting dirty and work on his little business of handing out free toys. To him the slingshots were the easiest.

     He would take four strong branches that were broken. One would be longer than the other three. He used tree sap to stick it all together. One small stick would be laid on top of long stick horizontally (the handle) and the last two sticks sat vertically on the two ends (poles) of the horizontal stick. Then he would get a stretchy fabric and cut off a strip and glue it to the two sticks that acted as poles. One dried, Vincent would do a quick test: put a small pebble into the fabric and pulled it back. Then he aimed. If it worked he tossed it with the rest and never played with it again.

      The children were all impressed by this. The Vincent Rowan Merger had a special talent. It was something people starved to have. People always knew where to find Vincent for a repair or an amendment. After age 11 he was tired of making rock slingers (more so the teacher slapped every one who was in on the atrocious behavior with these toys).

       "Who's in charge of this foolish black market?" The teacher called, holding up a broken puppet made of tree bark and strings. Everyone was more than happy to point at Vincent.

       Vince felt the heat rise in his cheeks as he slid down into his seat, trying to be invisible. "Well then, Rowan Merger, what do you have to say for yourself?" "Please don't tell my parents." He mumbled. The class laughed.. Vincent felt ashamed at himself. The teacher told them to settle down while she took a seat down on her chair.

        Vincent watched her as everyone was reading the poems from the red book, but could feel hopeless. He wasn't upset that the class ratted him out, but that puppet was now gone.

       He made it for Mirai. Since she was only six, he knew she wouldn't care about how disgusting and appealing it looked.

Now it was confiscated with every other thing he made that were found in children's knapsacks. Probably going in the trash. He thought, and after class went to dig it up to not find it in any trash bin.

         When he walked outside, he sat on the bench wondering what to do. His legs were swinging back and forth and watched the younger children play hop-scotch and rockfalls. He could see the kids setting the rocks up, all different shapes and sizes.

      He saw a group of girls from his class dissembling out of the building. He could easily overhear their conversation. "I've got to throw this doll away, it's driving me mad." Vince could immediately head the distinct voice of Lana.    

"Yes, you should." said her henchwoman of a friend. "But, it's really cute, you could give it to your sister." A girl with pigtails and growing chest added thoughtfully. "Not a chance," Lana said. "I'm a woman now, bleeding and everything."

       Vincent grimaced at that. Bleeding? What was that about, he did not know.

       "Whatever, I'll just leave it on the floor and hope for the best." Lana propped it next to the pole of the school gates, and her group left.

       Vincent audibly laughed at the situation and went over and picked it up. It was a light pink bunny with a loosened eye button and slightly torn ear. "It's perfect." He mumbled under his breath. "What is?" He turned around to see a girl with freckles, light skin, and sea-green eyes.

      "Nadia, hi." He said awkwardly. Nadia was a very quiet girl, she hardly ever spoke and usually read a book during lunch. Her family was from Seasen, which the teacher thought was lovely when she moved in two years ago.

      "Um, this doll." He found this slightly embarrassing— his parents taught him how to talk and act rich, yet here he was scouring the streets for an old doll.

      Nadia clenched here books and scanned the doll for a quick second. "It looks nice." She said. Vincent shrugged. He didn't know how to talk to girls. "Where are you going?" She asked. "Um, home. Want to walk?" She shrugged.

      The two walked him together, and talked about cookies.

       In school, the teacher came back inside the classroom to grade papers. She put the puppet she showed the other teachers inside a drawer with all the other items. She had not thrown them away. They would be quite handy for later.

—————————————

   Like a modern nerd, Vincent looked for a safer way to play. Turns out it was easier than he expected and it took a few years to see it. On the year he turned 14 the teacher had them go on a trip to play around in the wood workshop nearby. This was the year where students would be looking at different fields of work, to see what they would want to do.

     The experience was charming for the men but the women simply just stayed to the side whispering about fine bodies and  how concentrated the boys were. Vincent was most likely not on this list, he wasn't born with good looks, he'd earn them when puberty came.

     Vince he cut his finger and a small drop of blood leaked. He wiped it on his trousers and turned to the women talking with the teacher. He looked around him and saw four saws and plenty of tools and wood to be used.

     He shrugged to himself and walked over to them. He wasn't the type to 'talk', but he knew how to be social when the time need it. "Hello." Vince said. The girls looked at him confused and awkward. "Ooh, what's this? My buddy Vincey talking with the ladies."

     That was Lowry, a bright red headed boy that was not as sexist as everyone else. He was awfully friendly and weird so it was hard not to like him.

     He softly punched Vince's arm as he walked by. Vincent rolled his eyes.

    "There's plenty of tools and stuff to play with. Give it a try. You can't have all the males do all the work can you?" "...but we can." said Lana.

      As the leader of the pact, not the richest, the girls followed her statement and started laughing.

     Vincent felt the embarrassment crawling into his skin. So in agitation, Vince gave them a couple of words. "That's not funny.  There's plenty of women complaining about sexism and I know very well it bothers all of you. It bothers me too, but how are you going to change anything if you're going to be so stereotypical right now?" He felt there would also be people reserved and had no interest, and internally scolded himself for. "Well, it's always open. No ones judging... except for Orion."

    Orion was the fattest jerk on the block. Even he knew, but he didn't stop to change anything about it.

    When Vincent went back to his station he tinkered with the few blocks he had on his desk. Something simple... he thought. He had Mirai specifically in mind. Something that was easy to play with and pick up, but also can be used for creativeness. He snapped his fingers and wrote the diagram down. Then he heard the an extra pair of saws swishing back and forth. He turned around to see Lana and her crew trying to saw a big piece of wood on a visor. They were all laughing about how absurd this was and confused on what on earth to do. Even the teacher looked apprehensive while laughing. Vince smiled to himself.

    Vincent found his new toy—to put in technical standpoints— a series of levers that were made by small polished rectangular prisms.

    He brought them to class one day and the whole class simple stared. "Are they building blocks? Because that's not very innovative." Lana said. "Well I don't think it would be, considering Vince made it. He makes a lot of simple things interesting." said Nadia. Vince tried to hide the small smile from that comment. "Watch your tongue." The teacher said softly. "Sorry." She said.

Here's a concept: It's considered rude to call a man or woman that isn't in any special relation to you, their first name. No one understood this rule, but it was how they were taught nonetheless. Vince never understood this. Sometime's he'd always slip up and say their first name, then get a dunce cap.

He remembered when he accidentally called out Lowry's real name. Why he called attention to him was that he dropped a piece of paper on the floor. The class was quietly working, and he called out to him walking back to his seat. "Hey Sebastian!" He blurted. The red head turned around and stared at him, along with the everyone else in the class. "Erm, you dropped you paper..." "Thanks." He said quietly.

He got the dunce cap— as expected— and thought long and hard about why everyone was so paranoid when formalities were broken

"I'm sorry." Vince said after school. "It's alright. I don't really mind. I don't like my name. It's, eh." Vincent smiled."Whatever ever you say Lowry."

     Resuming back to the copyright dominoes, Vincent cleared his throat. "Watch." He stood them up vertically next to each other in a straight line, then tipped one over. The class gasped and awed in astonishment, as if they were five year olds again. "Can I take these for myself?" Orion asked. "No, you mashiman. There for Vincent." "Sam, don't say that." Lowry urged. Vincent's smile turned into a faded frown. 

       A few weeks ago, they had a lesson on magic. It's origins and how it was unethical and people with it were sent to destroy humanity. For a split second through it, he felt embarrassed. Then he quickly discarded and was washed over with regret.

     "But like, what if you're born with it and like, you don't want to be bad. Can't you be good?" The class muttered in agreements with the boy's sentiments.

"Well put it this way. Who's scared of a rat king?" Everyone's hands shot up. "Well then, the rats may be doing it for a good cause, but you're still going to hate it, because it's a rat king." "Ooooh." The class went to immediate side conversations for a few seconds until the teacher pulled them back into class.  

    Vincent was quiet and slouched in his seat, drawing different shapes to pass the time. That answer didn't fulfill his inquiries. Why? Mirai's not bad. You didn't even meet her. She's just a normal girl that likes chocolate chip cookies. Who also just so happens to have abnormal abilities.

    The next day, the term was made into a use of slang. It was first with Orion —it was always Orion— who blamed it on a child in class that supposedly made Orion's books topple over. "It was like he had magic!" Orion sputtered. The kid's face reddened in embarrassment.

      Orion got the dunce cap and wore it in the corner during class.

      Soon everyone was using the word like a normal swear, and continued getting the dunce cap. The teacher swore she drove them crazy. "I'm going to turn you all to the Mayor!" She snapped. "Unless any of you are hiding magical people in your basements, there is no reason for you to be saying such devilish things!"

       "Well, Vincent never had said anything this past month. I doubt he has ANYTHING to do with the mayor." A girl named Tina said. "Yeah, but that's probably because him and his mayor are pretty tight, y'know what I mean? Goin' to those rich dinner parties. Must be nice to be friends with the government." Another boy said. The class roared with laughter while Vincent stared out the window.

    Vince made a swift smirk as if he were bored but amused.

     "Vincent is probably the whitest, richest, and least magic person to ever exist." Lana stated, closing her textbook. "If you didn't get that right." a girl answered.

     Vincent said nothing, and only starting to look out the window again. If only they knew, he thought If only they knew.

     So after their teacher's warning, they mushed the words together into an unruly term. "Mashiman."

     Vincent had guiltily used this word as well, to go along with the crowd. He would never tell this to Mirai. It was an unfathomable secret he could never tell. It was like telling someone else that your best friend was an inconsiderate slut behind their back.

——————-

    At age 16 he got his first apprentice letter. It was the beginning of class that day and Vincent was a little late. While everyone was doing their own thing, he sat down on his wooden desk. He peered over to see the white letter sitting on his desktop. He could see the thin strokes of black ink on it. It was meticulous and articulated. It was from a blacksmith. He started to scrape off the wax cover.

    The intense scraping attracted everyone's attention, all eyes to the boy who had something they didn't.

   "Look what Merger has!" A black youth cried. "It looks like a letter." Lowry said. Lana rolled her eyes. "Obviously." Everyone started huddling around Vince as he carefully opened the envelope.

    "Why is it here?" Asked a girl. "Applications?" Lowry suggested. "That's impossible! No one's supposed to get those until next year!" "Shut up Orion." said a boy with tan skin. "Everyone please sit in your seats and leave Vince alone." The teacher scolded.

    No one paid attention. Vince unfolded the paper to see messy and sloppy penmanship on it. Definitely from a blacksmith, Vincent thought. The letter was assigned to him by a blacksmith in Collins. He asked if he could come to Collins to work with him. Vincent's hairs shot up on his arms.

     It took him a second to think this over.

    Collins.

     .

     .

     .

     What?

     The Blacksmith whose name was Monroe, liked the machines he rebuilt and modeled. There were several gasps and cheers of congratulations in the back. Vincent's heart was pounding.

     "Holy crap!" He blurted. It was like getting accepted into an ivy college at the age of starting high school. He looked up at the teacher and she winked. His jaw dropped.

    She actually sent his models to people. "Yeah Vincent!" Lowry said shaking his shoulders. Everyone was chanting his name— except Orion. Then the teacher cursed at all of them to sit in their seats and the class quickly quieted down.

      Well, not everyone. Some stayed to the side and gave him mean glances. They probably thought he got the letter because he had money, or maybe his parents did bribery.  

      Vincent would love to prove to them that he got the letter fair and square, but he wouldn't. It wasn't his problem, or more so he didn't like speaking.

     Vincent slumped in his seat rereading the words over and over again. He was sweating and fidgety. His pinched himself several times to make sure it was real. For a moment he felt more than happy to show the note to his parents, get the praise, and have them throw another annoying party filled with aristocrats.

      His eyes were stinging, and he rubbed them. No tears came out. He hadn't cried in a while, the last time he did was when Grandfather died.

         While class was going, he didn't really pay attention. His mind was too focused on the possibilities of today happening. 

    Grandfather, oh my god. Did you do this? Did you change the teacher's threats of throwing my stuff away? Oh my god. I miss you.

      Vincent's inaudible conversations with his always ended like that. With an I miss you.   

        He clenched the note tightly and went up to his teacher when school was done for the day. "Ma'am, thank you." His voice was shaky, and a little awkward.   "Thank you Vincent. For being, well, a good kid with... weird quirks. Make sure to behave at Collins." "I will!" He said nodding his head rapidly. The levity of the situation made him feel light in his toes.

    After school he flew out of the classroom, the apprentice letter rolled and encased inside his closed fist. The sun was shining and the street was wet for yesterday's rain. He felt a little uneasy, but he was sure everything would be alright.

    In the meantime that day, a girl with abnormal powers was on the purge of stealing.