Daisy wakes up slowly to her alarm, sunlight streaking through the curtains of her bedroom. She stretched her arms, before swinging her legs out of her bed and getting up. Her room is filled with small trinkets lining her shelves, and several framed photographs on all possible surfaces. She slaps the top of her alarm clock, effectivley shutting it off, and starts to get ready for the day. Moving to her small closet, she rummages through it until she finds her work uniform and a change into her normal outfit. She gets dressed and moves to her kitchen, where she grabs a pre-made lunch her girlfriend had made her. She quickly grabs a couple granola bars to eat on her walk to work and she then speeds out the door. She goes down a few sets of run down stairs that have several holes in them. Her apartment complex is overall degrading; uneven stairs, peeling wallpaper, broken drywall and leaking ceilings, the works. But it was a cheap set-up that she could afford with her minimum wage retail job while she went to school, so she couldn't complain too awful much. And on top of that, the landlady was a very kind older woman who couldn't get around like she used to, so Daisy only really called to have something fixed if it was actively endangering her life, which was actually surprisingly often.
The landlady is like... 90 years old. Everyone bets on how old she is because she's never told anyone. My bet's 92. She can't get around like she used to be able to, so I usually keep to myself and only let her know when something super bad happens. The tennant usually band together to fix the issue themselves. We've got a lot of handy people here.
Just last month, Daisy rather comically fell through the stairs after the untreated wood withered away. Needless to say, it was not a fun hospital visit, but at least her insurance covered it.\par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 These stairs terrify me. A few months back, I was in a rush and I must have stepped too hard on one of the stairs. My leg fell straight through it and tore it up super bad, plus I was literally stuck inside the staircase dangling for my life. My neighbour had to find me an hour later, and I had to call my job and my school to tell them about the freak accident. I refused an ambulance and ended up walking to the hospital. Do you know how expensive those things are? I'm lucky Darley's insurance covered my medical bills or I'd be in major debt. I leave extra early nowadays so I don't run down the stairs.\par -\par Rushing downstairs, Daisy mindfully sidestepped the area that she knew would probably collapse if she stepped on it, and speed-walked towards the lobby. At the front desk sat a young teenager-- the receptionist, whom Daisy was pretty sure dropped out of highschool for this job, --tapping away on his phone. He looked up drom his phone and gave Daisy a wave, before he went straight back to tapping away at his phone. Daisy waved back and continued her journey out of the apartment complex. Her job was a little ways away; around a twenty minute walk, though if she had her bike it would only be around ten minutes. Unfortunately, someone had picked the lock for the bike chain she had and stolen it while she was at work, and she didn't have the money to replace it. Despite the weather turning colder and the slight snow showers they were starting to have, she rationalized not having a bike by saying she needed to walk more anyways. \par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 Someone cut my damn bike chain a month or so back. Stole my whole ass bike, too. It was a rinky-dink piece of shit, but it was my piece of shit. When I find the bastard who stole it, it's on sight.\par -\par She started making her way down the sidewalk. Her apartment was nestled just a little ways away from the city, resting just off the outskirts on a back, dead end road. A long, thick electical line with a few rotten wooden poles were sometimes the only thing that could lead Daisy to the main city when it snowed. A rusted swingset and slide were right beside the building, with a pothole riddled parking lot on the other side. A large forest was behind the building, stretching for a few miles and surrounding the parking lot as well. The landlady claimed she used to have a fence up to keep people from wandering into the forest, but Daisy wasn't sure she believed her. Daisy herself had been in the woods a few times and she hadn't seen any remenants of a fence. She hardly had time to explore the forest nowadays, because of her job and schooling, but she used to be a big fan of the supernatural and often found herself poking around for clues that there might be a ghost. After all, a lot of the cityfolk claimed the forest was haunted.\par \b DAISY (OBSERVE WOODS): \b0 The woods creeps me the fuck out. Every time I pass by them, it feels like someone watching me. Everyone says that the forest is haunted. I used to be a massive supernatural nerd, hadan EMF, spirit box, everything. I have it all in a box under my bed. I've gone in a couple hundred feet deep with my gear, but I haven't found anything supernatrual... yet. I know something's in there.\par \b DAISY (OBSERVE PLAYGROUND): \b0 The landlady used to have a playground over there behind the building. Some of it is still there, but nobody uses it anymore. It's all rusted up. Add's to the vibe though, hopefully I find a ghost riding the swingset or some shit one of these days.\par \b DAISY (OBSERVE ROAD): \b0 I live a little ways out of town. This apartment, (if you can really even call it that), was super cheap and the only one in my price range. I only pay like, a hundred a month. It's a fucking steal, even if the entire building is one gust of wind from blowing down. Seriously. It sways in the wind. When it storms I stay at my girlfriends house because I can feel my apartment moving. It's a shortish walk to work and school and it's dirt cheap, lets me save up some cash, and still lets me buy a few things here and there, so I can't complain.\par -\par Speeding up, Daisy continued her walk to her job. After a lot of walking, she finally got there. A small corner store type space that was converted into a small coffee shop affectionately named "Sunlight Cafe". They served coffee, pastries, and had a very small dining room that students often used to do homework in.\par \b DAISY (OBSERVE EXTERIOR OF SUNSHIN CAFE): \b0 This is my job. Nothing special, it pays the bills. Got a few friends, but most of my coworkers are shit. Especially Bernniee, fucking hate that guy.\par \b COWORKER 1:\b0 Mornin', Daisy! Been one hell of a morning already (chuckles)\par \b COWORKER 2: \b0 You missed some lady throw a fit over not being able to customize our donuts\par \b DAISY: \b0 You're joking. Please.\par \b COWORKER 1: \b0 I wish. Fuck, man, we don't get paid enough for this\par \b DAISY: \b0 Great. Hooray for another amazing shift.\par \b COWORKER 2: \b0 I'm not in the mood, Daisy.. read the room.\par \b DAISY:\b0 (chuckling) You need to stop quoting Bernniee.\par Daisy's day continues as normal. Skipping past her work in a blur, she's finally allowed to clock out at 2pm, just in time for her 10 minute walk to campus. With glee, she stops by her favorite fast food joint, Garby's. She orders her usual meal and eat's it swiftly in their dirty dining room. When the clock strikes 2:40pm, she rises from her chair and throws away her trash. Swiftly walking out the door after waving at the cashier, she makes her way to her classes down the road. She arrives on campus and goes through several doors, where she finds her first class; advanced math, although she's 15 minutes early, it gives her time to say hello to everyone and get her books out. She's studying to become a storyboard artist, but she's minoring in mathmatics to become a teacher if the storyboard idea doesn't work. She's also going for a minor in buisness at the same time in order to land a good summer job to pay for her girlfriends medical bills whenever being a teacher is out of season. She sits down in her seat and pulls out her books, saying hello to her passing classmates.\par After a few minutes, the teacher comes in. Her name is Ms. Emma Scout, an old, overworked teacher. The campus is rather small and underfunded, it's a small community college with only a handful of overworked teachers and a very swamped principle. Several teachers end up teaching multiple subjects. Daisy waves hello to Ms. Scout, and walks up to her in order to hand in her homework from over the weekend.\par \b MS. SCOUT: \b0 Good afternoon, Daisy.\par \b DAISY: \b0 Hello, Ms. Scout. Here's my homework for al my classes.\par \b MS. SCOUT: \b0 Goodness, thank you, hon. I probably don't even need to grade these, do I?\par \b DAISY: \b0 I believe, no matter the confidence you have in me, that you probably should grade them.\par \b MS. SCOUT: \b0 Yes, yes, dear. I'll get these back to you in a jiffy.\par \b DAISY: \b0 Thank you, ma'am, 'precciate it\par \b MS. SCOUT:\b0 Of course, hon. Now scurry back to your seat, I need to start class!\par Ms. Scout starts the class, which Daisy pays a lot of attention to.\par \b DAISY (MONLOGUE): \b0 I've kept on top of all my classes so far. I'm minoring in buisness, with a major in both art and advanced mathmatics. My plan is to hopefully get a job as a storyboard artist with a big industry, since it's my dream job. If that doesn't work, then hopefully I'll land a job as a math teacher. And either way, I can use my buisness degree to get a good job no matter the outcome. I've gotten straight A's basically my entire life, but it hasn't been easy. I don't have any actual natural talent for literally any of the stuff I'm learning, so I've had to work my ass off since birth so I can land a good job in my adulthood. Unfortunately, despite my good grades, I never got my scholarship to a bigger school, so I have to work twice as hard at my local community college. I like it anyway. The teacher's are nice and so are the students. It makes it easier to focus on my boat load of classes.\par -\par The classes go by in a blur, and before Daisy knows it, it's the end of her school day. Since she attends the evening classes, she gets out at 8:30pm. She gets up and stretches.\par \b DAISY (OBSERVE DESKS): \b0 This is my desk. It's pretty ancient. The school's been up and running for over 150 years. Crazy, right? I've thought about doing a community project to help fund the school, but I just don't have the time. \par \b DAISY (OBSERVE CHALKBOARD): \b0 Just your average chalkboard. Nothing all that special. Sometimes I doodle on it before class starts.\par \b DAISY (OBSERVE WINDOWS): \b0 The classrooms have an alright view. It's only a 2-floor building, but most of the classrooms are upstairs. Most of them overlook the streets, but theres a few that look out on the garden or forest.\par \b DAISY (TALKING TO STUDENTS)\b0 : ...\par \b STUDENT 1&2&3: \b0 'Sup, Daisy.\par \b MELLODIIEE: \b0 So what brings you over here?\par \b DAISY: \b0 (sigh) Nothin' much.\par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 This is Mellodiiee Andrews. She's kind of a bitch, but she's not that bad. Her brother is a lot nicer, but I think he might have a crush on me. Or Darley. I really don't know.\par \b JORJE: \b0 Hey, petals! Schools going good?\par \b DAISY: \b0 It's going okay. Just lucky to survive another semester. And stop calling me that\par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 Jorje Andrews, Mellodiiee's brother. I found out a while back that they're related to Bernniee. Their parents must hate them, because their names are all spelled horribly. Jorje is a lot better than his brother, but he's still pushing the line.\par \b LAVENDER: \b0 Hello there, Daisy. I trust you've been well?\par \b DAISY: \b0 Yeah.. doing alright, thanks for asking. You?\par \b LAVENDER: \b0 I've been doing just fine, thank you.\par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 This is Lavender Reverie. Pretty sure it's a fake name. Either way, though, she gives off an almost etheral vibe at times. It feels like she knows everything at all times.. it creeps me out. I have no idea why she hangs around the Andrews siblings.\par -\par \b DAISY (TALK CHOICE 1): \b0 What do you think of all this homework?\par \b MELLODIIEE: \b0 Meh! I have no feelings on the matter. The work is simple, though I'm sure you don't see it that way.\par \b JORJE: \b0 Sick and tired of it. My IQ was only 11 in high school.\par \b MELLODIIEE: \b0 That's because you only ever played Full Life 3.\par \b JORJE: \b0 Shut up! I like shooting aliens!\par \b LAVENDER: \b0 Now, now, lets not fight...\par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 He's not for real... right?\par -\par \b DAISY (TALK CHOICE 2): \b0 So how's Bernniee?\par \b MELLODIIEE: \b0 Stop bringing him up. Just because he's shit at work doesn't mean you can dog on him everywhere!\par \b JORJE: \b0 I dunno, he stole my copy of Full Life 3 once... he also stole Portaler 2 and deleted my save file. I think he's evil at heart.\par \b DAISY: \b0 I'm gonna have to agree with Jorje on this one.\par \b LAVENDER: \b0 It's probably because of his unresolved emotional issues... he has an inferiority complex that's affecting his ability to see things the same way we do. It's nothing to shame him for, but he need's to accept help and move past his issues before he fully commits to a job like the one he has now.\par \b MELLODIIEE, JORJE, DAISY: \b0 ...\par -\par \b DAISY (TALK CHOICE 3): \b0 Mellodiiee, any new gossip I should be aware of?\par \b MELLODIIEE: \b0 Well.... get this...\par \b MELLODIIEE: \b0\i Apparentely\i0 Mr. Rogers, you know, from Economics? He was caught being in a secret relationship with the local model Jenna Renae. You know, the super popular one that got the front page of Rogue 6 months in a row?\par \b DAISY: \b0 No fucking way.\par \b MELLODIIEE: \b0 YES WAY, GIRL!\par \b DAISY: \b0 Darley is going to eat this up in our phone call later. Thanks for the info.\par \b MELLODIIEE: \b0 No problem. But like always, you didn't hear it from me, got it?\par \b DAISY: \b0 My lips are sealed.\par -\par \b DAISY (TALK CHOICE 4-BYE): \b0 I've gotta head out, need to get home in time for my phone call with Darley.\par \b MELLODIIEE: \b0 Damn. See ya I guess.\b\par JORJE: \b0 Bye, petals! Catch you next class!\b\par LAVENDER: \b0 Goodbye, Daisy. I hope you have a fine evening.\par \b DAISY:\b0 I'll see you guys tomorrow.\par -\par Daisy packs up her items and starts heading out the door, but Ms. Scout stops her.\par \b MS. SCOUT: \b0 Daisy, dear, could I speak to you for a moment?\par \b DAISY:\b0 Of course, ma'am.\par \b MS. SCOUT:\b0 I just wanted to let you know that you should be carful going back to your hosue alone. I'd be more than happy to drive you back.\par \b DAISY: \b0 Oh!\par \b MS. SCOUT:\b0 I would hate for something to happen to you walking down these streets alone at night... you know how people can be. I would never forgive myself if you were to find yourself in a bad situation that I could have prevented.\par \b DAISY: \b0 Oh, Ms. Scout, you don't have to trouble yourself with me. I live on the opposite side of town than you do.\par \b MS. SCOUT:\b0 But dearie, it's getting so cold out, and you never know when something might happen.\par \b DAISY (THINKING):\b0 I just can't. Ms. Scout is so kind, but she's getting older and I know she spends all her free time grading papers. I don't want to take up the little time she has to herself...\par \b DAISY:\b0 It's alright, Ms. Scout. I'm looking into new bikes so I won't be as vulnerable, I'll be okay, really.\par \b MS. SCOUT:\b0 I suppose I can't force you to let me take you home, but please. The offers always on the table for you.\par \b DAISY:\b0 Thank you, Ms. Scout. I need to get going though, my sister will be calling soon and I don't want to miss it.\par \b MS. SCOUT: \b0 ...Of course, dearie. Hurry home, and make sure to zip up your coat and make something warm for dinner.\par \b DAISY:\b0 Will do, ma'am.\par \b MS. SCOUT: \b0 And don't forget to finish your presentation!\par \b DAISY:\b0 Yes, ma'am.\par -\par Daisy throws her bookbag over her shoulder and starts walking home. She looks through the windows of a few shops and even goes into a couple to take a look around, before she continues her trek home. Once she gests out of the light of the main town and onto the backroad that has her apartment, she feels a little more on edge than usual.\par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 Damn, Ms. Scout has me a little on edge. She really didn't have to talk about how dangerous it is. Now my own road is giving me the major creeps. Fuckin' hell.\par -\par Daisy keeps walking and soon she can see her apartment. Out of habit, she looks over at the treeline, where she sees something that makes her stop.\par \b DAISY:\b0 What...\par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 I swear to God I see something.\par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 I've gotta be crazy. I've lived here since I was 18, and only now I'm seeing things in the woods? It's gotta be what Ms. Scout said to me getting to my head.\par (The eyes in the treeline move out of view, and Daisy hears a twig snap)\par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 ...\par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 ...\par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 Well fuck.\par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 I've never had auditory hallucinations before. There was totally something there.\par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuuuck...\par -\par Daisy runs through the doors of the apartment building and runs as fasts as she can up the stairs. She slams her door shut and locks it.\par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 Ms. Scout just had to say something. Now theres some fucker living in my woods.\par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 Just great.\par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 It might be a major cope, but maybe it was just a fucking deer, or a bunny or some shit. They live in the woods.\par -\par \b DAISY (MONOLOGUE): \b0 I should get dinner going. I've gotta do work on my stupid presentation before Darley calls, and I can't do it on an empty stomach.\par -\par Daisy starts up some stir fry and rice and does some work on her presentation, when Darley calls the home phone.\par \par \par \b\par }