
“Hey, Liz, could you get the cobwebs up in that corner there?” I gesture in its direction, busying myself with the stairwell. We’re slowly getting the feeling of dread out of the now no longer abandoned dorm. Not an image of winter break that springs to mind, I’m sure. “And, Violet, would you kindly help instead of standing around looking pretty?”
“But I’m dressed as an anime maid, Kat! You can’t expect an anime maid to work hard, do you know how fucking flimsy this outfit is?” She pouts standing right next to the front door. “Not to mention what if someone comes knocking? We have to look presentable as the start of a new sorority!”
Gamma Omicron Theta. Yes, it spells GOTh. The two founding members and their mascot are a Witch, a Fae and a Ghost, what else do you expect us to call it? It felt far too appropriate of a name, not to mention it got Moss asking to join up as well. “Nobody’s going to come knocking, Violet, we’re practically the only people on campus right now besides the faculty.”
There’s a knock on the door. Violet looks as delighted as a kid getting a puppy. I throw her a glare and she opens the door. “Hi, how can I help you?”
The moment the stranger audibly takes a breath in to speak, I recognize her. “Good day, I’m Mary Kouzelna, representing GloCon Inc., I am here to negotiate any repairs to the facility that might be needed.”
“The bathroom needs to be re-done, the windows let the heat out, and a new coat of paint outside wouldn’t hurt.” I call from where I’m cleaning, not turning to face her. “Not to mention the infrastructure, they built this thing in the 90’s and the only place with an ethernet port is the RO’s office.”
“Kat? Is that you?” My mother asks. I give her a quick wave, still not facing her. “You sound angry.”
“And yet, I’m not. Did you write all that down?” When I face her, I give her a neutral smile, a smile that says “I do not care for your presence one way or the other.”
“Not yet. Bathroom, windows, facade, networking, possibly plumbing and heating.” The sound of metal on paper as mom’s pen glides across her notepad echoes in the empty halls. “Now, Kat, I am scheduled to be in town until the work is done, no matter how long it takes.”
“Let’s hope everything goes smoothly then, won’t we? Was that all you needed?” She nods, I walk past her and gesture at the driveway. “Have a nice day.” The neutral smile remains. Mom shivers. I want to roll my eyes, but that would give the game away.
Despite Liz deciding to make herself sound like an eerie whisper, I hear her loud and clear as she says “Leave.” right into my mother’s ear, with a cloud of fog cold enough to save me an orchiectomy touching said ear and making her jump and book it as fast as she can in her business appropriate high heels.
She doesn’t get to see Liz hover behind me to hold me close and nuzzle my cheek. “Are, are you okay, Kat?” Liz asks, and I place my hand on one of her cheeks and kiss the other.
“I’m fine. Genuinely. I thought this would be a much more emotional reunion, but no, having to deal with the court hearing about your murder was much more for me to handle than Her.” And I mean it when I say it. Why was there a trial when the girls confessed?
Because rich parents are why.
Hard to work with your defense attorney when you are literally physically incapable of lying under threat of debilitating migraines. Pavlovs you into truthfulness right away. But it also gets you institutionalized in a mental health facility instead of a prison because of your freak out.
That’s all in the past now. Just like my mother’s emotional neglect. Just like my isolation and loneliness and lack of community. You don’t get over 19 years of bullshit quickly, mind you, usually you don’t get over it at all. You just learn how to live with it, one day at a time.
Having people around you that get it doesn’t just help, but is the only way to live. Community saves lives. Community protects lives.
I hope you’ve got a good one.





I wish I had seen this before the status post from 12 hours earlier. Maybe one of the other authors can help.
I really loved this story. Thank you so much for sharing it.
This was a fun read. I'm sorry that life is such a big bummer for you, but I did really enjoy your story. It was poignant and sarcastic and deeply relatable.
As an aside, your mech story sounds completely insane and I'm super into it. Hopefully your circumstances improve soon!
Hoping things take a turn for the better for you, and soon! Wishing I could afford to lend fiscal support. And, hoping the writer’s block gets out of your way soon!
Thank you so much for sharing this story, I love it so much. Not only does it have such a sweet and heartwarming story but I love the way you handle serious moments and light-hearted comedy, especially when one is handled with the other.
Your gundam idea sounds amazing and like something I'd love to read.
I know I'm commenting a year after posting but I hope things have improved since.
This was so wonderful to read… genuinely so beautiful. Your writing in this has this clear and kinda ironic realism to it, where everything feels sincere. A strong genuineness. Like a story a dear friend tells me because they trust me. Thank you so much for putting your time into the piece… its something to be cherished. And i trust whatever is to come will be fanTASTIC ! I cannot wait to see whats next.
Gundam knock off sounds FANTASTIC! Until then.
Thank you so much for the wonderful story! <3
a Gundam knock-off focused on a shinto shrine maiden themed commune of trans woman machinists working on mechs founded by the transitioned inventor of mechs who faked her death, where the antagonists are Exiled Disney Executives That Started an Empire beyond Jupiter.
That sounds like it would fit right in on scribblehub next to "Digital Galaxies" and "All the sci-Fi Taboos."
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Will there be more, or is this complete? The status has not changed on the summary page yet.