The Sinister Screen Queen

Emilia unlocked the front door with a shaky hand, her keys jangling like wind chimes in a storm.

"Well, here we are!" She said, stepping aside to let the others in.

"Uh, it's not a palace, but my parents gave me the house for the weekend—technically—and they said the neighbors will peek in from time to time. Just to, you know... make sure no one burns the place down."

She laughed nervously. No one else did.

Tanya glanced around the living room, which was cozy, clean, and a little old-fashioned.

"It's cute!" Ming smiled.

"It's... quaint." Allegra muttered, toeing at a welcome mat shaped like a hedgehog.

Emilia clasped her hands and took a deep breath. "Okay! First thing's first snacks."

"I was thinking marshmallows, chocolate, some of those jelly—"

She paused, eyes drifting down to her hand.

Clutched there was a folded gambling slip.

Her face paled. "Oh no…"

"What did you do?" Tanya raised a brow.

Emilia gave an awkward, guilty smile. "I… may have accidentally gambled our snack money."

"You what?!" Ming burst into laughter.

Allegra looked amused. "You might be Italian."

Tanya just blinked.

"I'm sorry!" Emilia yelped.

Tanya let out a small snort, amused despite herself. "Who bets candy money?"

Mary, perched primly near the door, folded her arms with a look. "Gambling with funds meant for hospitality? Tsk."

Mary sighed. "No matter. I'll handle it." She turned and marched off toward the kitchen. "No one suffers for someone else's sugar crimes."

"Do we even have ingredients left?" Emilia asked, trailing behind her with guilt.

Tanya leaned back on the couch. "Relax. If anyone can make cookies out of cardboard, it's Mary."

Allegra, Tanya, Emilia, and Ming settled on the couch, the TV droned with an online pre-show segment, full of ads and stats and overexcited commentators.

Ming groaned. "How long until the actual match?"

"Why dey talk-a so much before da game starts?" Allegra asked with a sigh. "All mouth, no match."

"Because men like to hear themselves talk." Ming replied, sipping a juice box.

Tanya, head propped on her hand, whispered to herself. "Casey?"

The voice in her head sighed. What now?

"How much for Felicity Jones's phone number?"

What do you think I am, a phone book? Casey snapped.

"Yeah." Tanya said cheerfully. "A snarky, overpriced one."

Tanya smirked. "So far, you should be able to give me everything… if I'm willing to pay."

Casey groaned. You're already learning how to scam me, aren't you?

Mundane stuff is easy to get here, but it costs. You want water in a desert? Too bad unless it's sold on a shelf

"Then I'll just shove a water bottle in the inventory and wait."

She paused, then added thoughtfully, "Still can't believe I have to wait until February…"

500 Emotion Points Casey offered suddenly. Discount price. Because you've met her already

Tanya shrugged. "I have plenty."

She pulled up her status screen.

Name: Tanya Pendragon

Title: Annoying Stepsister

Age: 15

Skills: Dishwasher Amateur, Advertiser Professional Mid, Combative Master Low, Racing Expert Peak

Emotion Points: 148,137

Store

Inventory

–500 EP deducted–

Felicity Jones's number saved to Contacts

Tanya wondered if there might be another hidden quest waiting for her when her mission resumed on Monday.

Could happen Casey murmured.

Sometimes they're hidden in plain sight. Sometimes it's all timing. Like… Gemma. That was random.

"Oh really."

Thinking back, Tanya realized that meeting Gemma had felt exactly like that, not expected, just something that happened because the timing was right.

Maybe chance wasn't so random after all.

Tanya smiled. "Easy. Now, let's see if I can trigger another hidden objective."

"Apologize!" Emilia snapped from across the room.

She turned just in time to see Allegra lounging against a bookcase.

"What?" Allegra shrugged. "I just said this casa is small… tiny. And un po' maleducata. Like, it's not an insult if it's true, capisci?"

Emilia's face flushed. "It's my house! You don't have to be rude!"

Ming stepped in quickly. "Let's not start a fight, okay? Allegra's just... blunt."

Tanya groaned, but something caught her eye… a stack of board game boxes in the corner.

She pointed. "Who wants to play Ludo?"

Allegra didn't even get a chance to reply. Emilia launched herself across the couch. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK ABOUT MY WALLPAPER!"

"Emilia!" Ming scrambled to pull her back.

Allegra screamed dramatically. "She's attacking me! Someone help!"

Mary poked her head in, still dusted in flour. "Do I need to give a lecture on manners?"

Tanya held up the game box. "Or we could settle this with dice and a little passive-aggression."

Everyone paused.

Then, slowly, Allegra sat down with a huff. "Fine. But I get blue."

Emilia sniffled but nodded. "Only if I get red."

"I'll be yellow." Ming smiled.

Tanya smiled at stopping the disaster. "Green it is."