Midas cave

Since I have a smidge of motiviation before going to bed...

Warning : no proof reading, English is not my mother tongue.

If you are interested in reading this fic, the tag "#twst lmsyy" will give you all the chapters.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

The woman was on the verge to barge out when Albert called her. “Are you sure you want to get out dressed like this ?”

Victoria raised an eyebrow. “Yes, why ?”

Bertrand answered “Because it is beginning to be a bit chilly outside.”

Conrad finished “You need to at least wear a jacket !”

She was wearing a long sun dress with platform boots, which seemed to be perfect for the weather outside the dorm. “It is sunny !” She complained. “Moreover I won’t be outside for long !”

Conrad insisted while Alphonse was putting her hoodie on “No no no, you are already sick, you don’t need to get worse ! Imagine the poor children without their mother ??? Ooooh what a sad thought !!!”

Completely jaded, she let Alphonse zip up her hoodie. “Ok ok… I understand. Can I go now ? I want to go back to bed early.”

Bastien was going to say something about a hazardous fashion, but Victoria ran away first.

Aaaah those boys… always rambling about “Back in my dayyyyyyyys… Womeeeeen wouldn’t show their shouldeeeers…”. Outrageous Imma right ?

Victoria walked to the school store and explained her situation to Sam. Sadly they needed to buy a new boiler and the school shop didn't have that ‘IN STOCK’. Completely defeated, Victoria had to come to a reason : she needed to go to the city shopping district. She checked the clock. It was 12:30 pm. She needed to brace herself, she could do it.

Once at the bus stop, an old car horn could be heard accompanied by “And where is little miss fugitive going ?”.

The fugitive turned her head. It was the Crewel mobile. “I am not a fugitive. I am sick. Sick with no more hot water.”

Divus felt pity watching her tired face. “Need a ride ? I have nothing to do this afternoon, I finished my classes for the day.”

This proposition made the brunette smile. “Let’s go then, to the shopping district !”

The ride was calm. Crewel knew better than to pry in someone’s life, when they didn't seem open to the discussion. He just asked an open question “Do you feel a bit better now that you are resting ? I know that sometimes, just knowing that you have a rest at home order can alleviate a LOT of the pressure.”

The lilac eyed woman had a faint smile. “Well, everything was going great until a raccoon cat decided to yell on top of their lungs that the water was cold. I spent all morning with the ghosts trying to revive the boiler…”

Crewel frowned. “He truly has no remorse for awakening such an adorable person.”

Victoria looked at the bicolor-haired man and laughed “You’re kidding. I am not adorable. I am a zombie.”

The man answered with all the seriousness in the world “Being a zombie is temporary. Once it passes, you will still be adorable.”

Life is a mess, God is clearly testing me... So here a filler chapter !

Warning : no proof reading, English is not my mother tongue.

If you are interested in reading this fic, the tag "#twst lmsyy" will give you all the chapters.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

At the moment Victoria held her hand out, a loud noise could be heard and everything around her began changing into smoke. She yelped “Not agaiiiin !!”.

She opened her eyes. What was that loud noise ? … Someone was banging on her door ?

“VICTORIAAAAAAAAA THE WATER IS COOOOOOOOOOOOOLD.”

It was Grim.

“Griiim shush!!! Victoria is sleeping !!!”

[Too late Yuu, I am already awake.]

She got up really slowly. “Yes yes coming…”.

“VICTORIAAAAA.” Continued Grim behind the door.

 *BAM* The door opened, revealing a zombie like state Victoria “WHAT?”.

She enjoyed the silence that came with the surprise. Victoria continued “Wazzup?”.

Grim was about to yell again but Yuu was faster. “We were taking a shower when the water became cold. I told Grim it could wait but he was impatient. I think the water heater broke… Sorry…”

The woman sighed. She was too tired for this. “I see… Go to class, I will take care of it.”

Yuu was going to apologize once again, but the brunette cut them. “I said : go. to. class. Have a nice day.”

Yuu and Grim nodded, understanding from her tone of voice that it was better not to insist.

Victoria tried going back to sleep but it seemed like her body was good for the day, despite being mentally drained. She still stayed in bed, scrolling a bit on her phone. She needed to enjoy silence while it lasted. Calm. Peace.

After an hour or so, she got up and went to the kitchen. She was just following her stomach to this point. She munched on a sandwich while looking at the boiler. It was an old thing after all, it wouldn’t be strange for it to break.

She opened YouTube. “How… To… Tell… If a boiler… Is… Dead.”. She clicked on the first video. She watched the video and called her helpers. “Albert, Bertrand, Conrad, we need to repair this.”

“That’s not our name !” protested them.

 “I don’t care” answered the woman.

Despite this short feud, the four of them went to work.

After a few hours, the four of them had come to the same conclusion : the boiler was dead. They tried to revive it by modifying the intensity of the flame, the gaze etc… But, no, it was dead.

Victoria snarled. She needed to go to the store… And not be in her pj. Sh*t.

I am trying to link all my ideas XD I had too much ideas for this story and it is holding me back since I want to have a coherent story.

Warning : no proof reading, English is not my mother tongue.

If you are interested in reading this fic, the tag "#twst lmsyy" will give you all the chapters.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Victoria promised the children to help them study before saying some good nights.

After a light meal, the woman took her meds and went to bed. She was hopeful she could get some well deserved rest. She laid there, observing her ceiling. [What is this teacher thinking ? Teaching them such complex matters…]. She sighed. [What a mess].

After a few hours, the meds kicked in and she fell asleep.

She was on a hill, in front of a yellow tower. [I must be dreaming, am I at Yen Sid tower again ?].

She knocked on the door and after a few minutes, an old man opened the door. He was old, with a long gray beard and his black eyebrows always frowning. He was muttering about how youngsters those days seemed to have a lot of free time. He raised his head and looked her in the eyes.

He was intrigued. “Well, we meet again, young woman. You disappeared in a hurry last time.”

She was flabbergasted. “Mh, yeah nice to meet you again sir. I woke up quite brutally.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You… woke up ? What do you mean ?”

She thought hard on how to explain this. “Erm, basically, for me, I am currently asleep and I am dreaming about you ..? Like I know my body is asleep because if someone outside wants to see me, he only needs to wake me up. I exist on this plane of reality. But I shouldn’t exist on your plane.”

The man squinted his eyes, wondering what she could be meaning by that. After a few minutes, he asked “I know there are multiple worlds so… Which one are you from ?”

Victoria smiled. “I come from a world named Twisted Wonderland.”

The older man thought hard. “Twisted Wonderland…  I do not know this world, it must be new or undiscovered. What brings you here ?”

She blinked. “I… Don’t know. I mean,I don’t even come from Twisted Wonderland to begin with. Apparently I was randomly chosen to be there.”

His eyes opened wide. “You were chosen ? Are you a keyblade master ?”

Victoria blinked faster. “Me, a keyblade master ? Don’t make me laugh.”

He huffed. “You are right, you must be a princess of heart. I can feel that you are pure.”

The woman guffawed. “Me ? A princess of heart ? Pure ? What a good joke. I ain’t pure for sh*t. I did stuff in bed y’know ?”

He sighed. “Being pure has nothing to do with that. You have no darkness in your heart. You must never have been able to hate someone or you always did your best to please people.”

She was shocked. “Ok… Touché.”

The man massaged his temple. “What’s your name?”

She smiled, finally able to answer a question without having to think too hard about it. “I am Victoria Devi, a janitor ! And you ?”

He scoffed. “I am Yen Sid, magician.”

I am really trying to be better but it is hard to forget my baby kitty...

Warning : no proof reading, English is not my mother tongue.

If you are interested in reading this fic, the tag "#twst lmsyy" will give you all the chapters.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Victoria was curious about the brain map in front of her. It was colorful, going from blue to white. Most of her right brain and about a third of her left brain were bright white. From what she remembered from anatomy class, the left brain is logic and the right is about creativity.

The doctor pointed to the right blob. “This explains your voices. Basically your brain is creating them and your left brain is not able to differentiate from reality. The over activity of your brain is unable to shut down and create your sleepless nights. What is your usual treatment ?”

Victoria thought hard to remember. “Uuuuh. A thymo-regulator, two antipsychotics in small doses and a relaxing pill to help induce sleep.”

The doctor pondered hard. “I see… Can you tell me a bit more about the molecules ? It would help me avoid creating a chemical shock.”

The young woman explained the dosage and the name of the molecules to the man in white robe. He nodded multiple times and took notes on his computer.

After what felt like an eternity, he prescribed her a stronger antipsychotic, some sleeping pills and asked her to increase the thymo-regulator. He also gave her a 2 week rest at home notice for Crowley, advising her to do the bare minimum and sleep through it.

She paid what seemed to be an enormous price and left the office.

Once outside, she bought a sandwich to eat while waiting for the bus. The prospect of climbing the mountain that leads to NRC wasn’t enjoyable for her. She clearly wasn’t a part of the mountain lovers club.

When she was done with her sandwich, the bus came and took her back to the academy. In front of it, she sighted. [How am I going to explain this to Yuu ? I should tell the truth, I know it but would they even be able to understand it ? It is a lot for a teenager to handle. “Hello, I am mentally ill but no worries I don’t go to the psych ward this often !”. She face-palmed herself way to go girl… If it is difficult for a child, what will it be when I will explain it to Grim ? The poor guy is going to ask me if he can eat it…].

She opened the door of the rundown dorm and was welcomed by the sight of the duo watching the TV, both with their mouths opened.

She had a small smile “Hey everyone…”.

They turned their heads and both had big smiles plastered on it. “Victoriaaaa !!!! We missed you !”.

Grim added “Yuu is not good at cooking.” while Yuu asked “Where were you ? We were a bit worried.”.

She had a small laugh and shut down the TV. Mustering her courage, she said “We need to talk about something serious.”

She sat on a sofa and inhaled slowly. “Yuu, Grim, I hide it, but I am a bit sick. Like I am constantly sick but by periods. And right now is one of those periods. Like you said Yuu, I am missing a lot of sleep and can’t really focus. And Grim, no I am not faking it to not go to the academy and work. I have 2 weeks off, so normally I should be better in a few days. Just that I will sleep a lot during the day and won’t be able to accompany you to school. Sorry…”.

Right on the dot, Grim asked “Can’t you eat it ?”.

The woman felt her soul leaving her body. [Super…]

Yuu hushed Grim. “You can’t chew off illnesses, Grim ! You need self-care and medications, even if it is just a cold. It can become worse if you don’t do anything.” They faced Victoria. “I understand, I… We will do our best to not hinder you in your recovery ! We will be calm and not mess around.”.

She pinched her nose “It is not a question of hindering of not, it is a question of understanding.” The woman smiled a bit. “I take your word for it, be calm and study hard, the exams are in 2 weeks.”

Yuu mumbled something. Victoria raised an eyebrow. “Yes Yuu ?”

They bite their lips. “Will you give us a group math class ? Ace, Deuce, Grim and I are behind.”.

The brunette frowned. “What ? But you both study it a lot. What happened ? Show me your notes”.

Yuu reappeared in the living room with their notes and showed it. The woman flipped through the pages. [Mhm… They are still studying the integrals but… This is not the level asked for a first year student.].

She looked at the last page where could see an attempt to resolve an equation with variable substitution. She blurted “Is this guy… Incompetent ?”.

Yuu lowered their head. Victoria hurried “Not you, Yuu. The teacher !! I think he is inapt to teach.”

The Child was surprised and Grim gasped. Grim asked “Why ?”.

[The racoon loves drama ?].

The eldest answered frankly. “What you are studying is far too high-level for you. It is outside program. You should be beginning to study about irreal planes and their reasoning. Not integrals with variable substitutions.”.

Grim had a wide smile and threw his paws in the air. “So it is normal that we understand nothing !! Nya ha ha, I knew it !”.

The woman massaged her temples while giving back  to Yuu their notes. “Alright, I will teach you. But it doesn’t mean it will be now, I need to rest first. Maybe in a week.”.

I am in need to get this doctor appointment out of my brain. It will be on 2 separate chapter since this one was already a little long for my standards.

Warning : no proof reading, English is not my mother tongue.

If you are interested in reading this fic, the tag "#twst lmsyy" will give you all the chapters.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Victoria had a horrible night. It was worse than usual. She stayed awake the whole night, in her bathtub. She had a new passion for this bathtub. Imagine having a bath staying warm eternally. Just imagine.

To pass time, she had taken one of the plank lying on the floor of an abandoned bedroom and put it across the bathtub width. The woman had put her phone on it to watch WeTube and see what she could do to repair the dorm. She knew from the game that it would be repaired after the Octavinelle mishap, but maybe it was her doing ? She laughed at this thought. She shouldn’t give herself too much credit. Plus Victoria knew she would be KO after her visit to the doctor. He would most certainly give her stronger anti-psychotics. She would finally sleep ! Which was a big improvement.

She didn’t want to alarm Yuu and Grim but she would need at least a week of rest, without any work to do. A week of SLEEP. It was her biggest fantasy for the moment.

Maybe she could pretend to have the flu ? It would not be believable, she didn't sneeze or cough. Sinus infection ? She wasn’t blowing her nose.

The black-haired woman thought aloud. “It is going to be hard to hide it…”

Once the Sun was out, Victoria got out of the bath and emptied it. She put on her clothes : her eternal black high waisted mom jean with a black long sleeve shirt and a warm wine sweater. It had no motif, it was just plain. She put on her Timberland ankle boots. Need to stay warm since the days were beginning to be cold and her body was clearly not functioning.

Victoria got out of her bedroom to go to the kitchen. Her body seemed to weigh a ton. She was moving slow, since everything seemed to go fast around her.

She prepared her tea and her hazelnut sandwich. She got Yuu’s and Grim’s cereal out of the cupboard, with the proper dishes. She prepared handmade orange juices for them, to have a good immune system. You can never be too careful !

Yuu and Grim came inside the kitchen and sat on their usual chairs. They began to munch on their breakfast while speaking about the classes they had today. It was moments like those that made Victoria hold on to her dear life and sanity. Or what was left of it.

At the moment to leave the dorm, Victoria wrapped Yuu and Grim in a scarf she knitted.

The woman spoke first. “I need to buy both of you a coat, winter will come soon.”

Yuu nodded while Grim protested. “We can just choose our clothes ! No need to mom us out of it !”

Victoria had a small laugh and squeezed them in a hug.

It was Yuu’s turn to speak. “Are you alright ? You don’t seem well those days.”

The woman answered gently. “I am just very tired. You both give me strength to continue.”

The day passed slowly. Very slowly. Victoria took her time to do her chores of the day. She needed to do those well before going to rest at home.

When it was time to go to the doctor, she went to the dorm and left a note on the kitchen table, saying she would be late for dinner and to eat without her.

Victoria took the bus to go to the appointment. It was a quick ride, since the island wasn’t big.

Once at the bus stop, she took out Maps to go to the building. It was quite “in your face” building for a shady doctor…

The woman was quickly taken in charge by the doctor. He was a tall and thin man, quite a few years older than her. He wore round glasses with a golden frame. The glasses made her thought of Scrooge Macduck.

He spoke in a low voice. “So you are the Miss I-don’t-have-insurance-or-social-security recommended by Crowley ? What brings you here today ?”

She had an apologetic smile. “Yeah it’s me… I… Kinda have bipolarity and I am in a full blown crisis.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “And what makes you think you’re having an episode ?”

She decided to answer honestly. After all, she was protected by medical secret. “Well… I have energy bursts, I don’t sleep and…”

She continued with a small voice. “I hear voices ?”

The doctor laughed. “It is a good reason to think so.”

He took out what seemed to be a tiara and put it on her head. He continued. “Let’s see your brain activity.”

[Is this like a portative MRI ?] she thought.

The doctor turned on a rectangular screen and the picture on it was bright orange and yellow. He whistled. “Wow, you rarely see a brain having so much activity…”

*whistle* I am not on a roll...

Warning : no proof reading, English is not my mother tongue.

If you are interested in reading this fic, the tag "#twst lmsyy" will give you all the chapters.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

The following day, she decided to do some work. She needed to change some candles. God knows how long it was going to take since the school had like… a billion of them.

She looked at the hallway. She put on her headphones and muttered to herself. “Let’s do this sh*t.”

It was a long, very long afternoon. But at the end of it, she had changed all the candles of the west and east wings. She will need to do the main building tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, it will be the day of her doctor appointment, and Victoria was quite happy with it. She had no accidents for the moment and ignored the voice successfully. But it was hard that day.

The voice began to speak to her when she was sweeping the floor. “Don’t you think you are being selfish, ignoring me like that ?”

She was particularly tired and answered. “No I am not… I am just ignoring you to not seem crazy. It is hard to have you around.”

It continued. “I am loveable.”

Victoria retorted. “Loveable enough to make me cry to sleep, a true lady killer.”

They continued back and forth while she had her headphones on. It seemed like she was on the phone, when she truly had no one to call.

Crewel found her speaking in the hallway next to his class. He slowly went to her, taking care of being in her sight so as not afraiding her. Despite that, she didn’t seem to focus on him. It was as if he wasn’t there. Or a ghost maybe.

When she was reachable, he gently waved his hand before her eyes.

Victoria jumped, surprised. She took off her headphones and asked “Professor Crewel ! What can I do for you ?”

He smiled gently. “I was wondering what you were doing on the phone, during your work hour/ In reality you were just thinking aloud, right ?”

Sh*t. Touché. “Erm… Yeah. I was wondering if I was loveable.”

He arched his eyebrows. “Of course you are loveable. Everyone is loveable.”

She looked at him, deadpanned. “Even serial killers ?”

He scoffed. “Of course not. But the woman sweeping the floor of NRC, while muttering her thoughts, is loveable.”

He went away. She was surprised. Did he mean it ?

The voice came back. “You should not have any hope. He is a boy. All boys are the same.”

Victoria muttered. “Who are you, Hades ? Do you think you are in Hercules ?”

She sweeps at full force and added. “I am a big girl, I am single, I can do what I want.”

And everyone seemed to forget that.

Victoria went back to the dorm that night, deciding to make curry for dinner. It was beginning to be cold those days.

Yuu welcomed her with some graded paper. “Look ! I had a good grade today !”

She had a weak smile. “Good job Yuu, I am happy to hear that. Continue like this, since exam season is near.”

Yuu tilted their head. “Are you alright ?”

She had a sigh. “I am sorry, I think I will do the food and go to sleep. I am very tired.”

Yuu nodded. “If there were anything wrong, would you tell me ?”

Victoria had a little laugh. “Of course I would.”

*chuckle* 21st day since the last chapter... I had to read all my fanfiction to remember what I did to go where I want to finish this fanfic. Sorry for the long waiting time, I am overwhelmed at work. I will try to post more, since I have a more mature idea to where this is going.

Warning : no proof reading, English is not my mother tongue.

If you are interested in reading this fic, the tag "#twst lmsyy" will give you all the chapters.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Victoria blushed at the compliment. It has been a long time since anyone has given her so many compliments.

She babbled before fleeing “Well, thank you for the tonic, bye !”

She sat at her desk. After a few seconds, she grabbed her head and sighed. 

“Don’t you want to hang out with me ?” said the voice. Of course she wanted. She went on a trip down memory lane.

He was such a great guy. He wasn’t a tall, muscular man. He was slightly taller than her with a dad bod. He had dark-hair and a pair of onyx eyes. He was just so nice… They first met in their first year of university. They both took the thermodynamic 101 lecture, in the south lecture hall, with Mrs. Bern as their teacher.

They just sat together at the back of the hall since the first lecture. Victoria liked the place because she could take as much place as needed to do her little schemas. He just wanted to be near the exit to be able to go to lunch the quickest.

Despite going to a very interesting lecture, one day he forgot his pen and she lent her one of hers. They began to chat and they clicked. They both had a very different yet complementary vision of the world. One seeing atoms or molecules, while the other one was seeing calculus or binary objects.

They were friends at first, telling about their days and going to karaoke with friends. They hang out a lot and it became natural for people to mistake them as a couple. Even their friends were teasing them about it.

When they became official, it was a surprise to no one. She asked him out with a famous 1 < 3U equation. He answered with a code giving her hearts when she opened it.

While their relationship was blooming, she had her first episode. Then another one. And again. She was happy he stayed with her, collecting her little pieces each time she had a crisis. During their 3rd year, she was medicated and it became more bearable. The meds were emphasizing her ‘normal’ episode.

And then it happened. He became distant little by little, not responding to her texts or standing her up on dates. It was frustrating. When she confronted him about it, he just said that it was a rough patch because of his studies. She believed him. She was there when he had nothing more than a diploma and a computer. She lent him her shoulder to cry on when his dissertation was just a blank paper because it was too hard. Making him healthy warm food to give him more strength. Showering with all the love she had. It was normal for her, she wanted to support him, like he did when she was in a rough patch.

When he had his license, he dumped her like an old chewing gum.

She wasn’t expecting that. And she never despised him. She was just… in love with him. Desperately in love.

His reason ? She wasn’t like she used to be.

But at this moment, she was just a wreck. She heard him, she wanted to be with him and it hurt to be away from him. She still pined for him, even after having her heart broken. It was… Sad.

She was just a sad woman, inside one of the video games she spent so much money on. Was it like that to be a mom ? Like being powered by the presence of her lovely children, passing time by crocheting some cardigan and taking photos of her babies ? Damn, at this rythm, she was ready to bring Yuu down the aisle tomorrow. Maybe they would marry Deuce ? He is a great kid after all.

The lunch bell rang when she was in her thoughts. Like a robot she went to the cafeteria and ordered some fries to munch on, sulking.

Trein sat in front of her without her noticing. She had a heavy sigh. He asked “Why are you having this sigh, Mrs Devi ? Everything is alright ?”

She jumped from the surprise. Lucius took the opportunity to lay on her lap like he could, since his chonkiness was fighting for space with the table.

She giggled and scratched his cheeks. Lucius was cute and he was healing her heart. She answered Trein “I am just reminiscing about my last love story and became very alone.”

He raised an eyebrow “Oh ? Are you missing your half since he is not in the same universe as you are ?”

She had a smile “Oh, it isn’t like that. He dumped me a long time ago and I am still not over my feelings for him.”

Crewel sat with them “How long is a ‘long time ago’ ?”

It was the woman's turn to raise an eyebrow “Hello to you too Professor Crewel. It was…” she counted “4 years ago.”

Both men were astonished. The bi-color man spoke first “It is time for you to let go ! I know it is harder said than done, but 4 years is a long time.”

The woman sighed “Yeah, maybe I should find myself the first guy interested in me and sleep with him on the first date.”

Both men were clearly stunned. Trein articulated “W-what ? Don’t tell me you think it is a good idea.”

She blinked “Of course it is a bad idea.”

The men had a sigh of relief. She added with a wide smile “That’s why I should do it !”

Both men agreed “NO !”

“Aww… You’re not fun”

I was a little burn out after my project but @boba-tea-fish comments gave me strength to write a chapter today. It is a mental health centered chapter.

Warning : no proof reading, English is not my mother tongue.

If you are interested in reading this fic, the tag "#twst lmsyy" will give you all the chapters.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

It was like a revelation for her. [Of course, that is the only explanation. All those weird whispers, those sounds… Plus, my ex ?? Couldn’t I choose someone else ? Like Morgan Freeman ? At least he could narrate my life with his beautiful voice.]

She sent her crochet flying. She was angry at herself. How could she even let her mental state become this wrecked ?

She laid down. The duvet and bed weren’t comfortable anymore. It was as if she was laying on the ground in the middle of the hallway of Ramshackle. It was hard. It was cold. If it was a sound, it would be like scratching metal. Disturbing. Strident sound. A call for help. What she didn’t know was what aspect this call for help will sound like in real life.

The tonic made an effect a few hours later, allowing her some kind of relief for her neurons. It was a night without any dreams or nightmares. It was just like passing out, like Crewel promised.

When she woke up, she had slept for approximately 5h, which was not a lot for an ill brain.

She stood up. She felt like her body was in a numb state. It was going to be a hellish week to survive until the doctor appointment.

She moved little by little to wear a pair of black leggings and an oversized t-shirt. The bare minimum. She wasn’t feeling like putting on make-up. She would be ugly for a week. Or more, if it stayed. It was going to stay, she knew it, but she was lying to herself because she needed to feel better fast. For Yuu. For Grim. They needed her.

She went out of her room and prepared breakfast. Yuu arrived in their school uniform, Grim by their side.

The woman smiled at the view. “Are you already going back to school ? You could stay a little bit longer at home, you know.”

Yuu smiled in return. “No, I have to go back to school at some point. I want to be able to survive in my environment, so I need to learn as much as I can. Like you said.”

The oldest blinked. [I did say that but I wasn’t expecting it to have an impact on Yuu…]. Victoria nodded. “Alright, if you think so. Who am I to stop you ?”

They went to school, hands in hands. All 3 needed strength in their own ways. Yuu needed help to cross the school gate. Victoria needed help to be able to work for the day. And Grim just needed help with his grade. It was exam season soon, they needed to pass. She needed money to shelter them, so they wouldn't be thrown out.

Before school started, she dropped by Crewel’s desk.

She looked left and right before entering the teacher’s lounge, hoping that Crowley and Trein wouldn’t be there. She didn’t need useless stress or nagging today. Or for a few days. Let’s make it a week.

Crewel saw her doing her little shenanigan. “Searching for someone ?”

Victoria was happy to see him. Like genuinely happy. And it showed on her face. “Dr Crewel ! I wanted to thank you for the tonic.”

He looked at her in silence for what seemed to be hours. She asked, doubtfully. “... Yes ?”

The man asked. “Did you wake up late ?”

The woman blinked. “No… Why ?”

Crewel bent to watch her closely. “You’re not wearing any make-up today. You look… Dead.”

She blanked due to the honesty she was facing. Then Victoria answered carefully. “Yeah, I didn’t feel like a living being today.”

He continued to scrutinize her, until he rectified his posture. “I know you looked cute, with your make-up and all, but despite being bare faced today, you are still cute.”

Victoria blinked a few times before saying. “I thought I was dead ?”

Crewel smiled. “A cute dead.”

No chapter until the 6th of november because of a project at work.

Warning : no proof reading, English is not my mother tongue.

If you are interested in reading this fic, the tag "#twst lmsyy" will give you all the chapters.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Victoria still bought the pillow, in hope that it will solve her sleeping problem. That man could really sell his grandmother for some grapes.

After that she talked about nothing and everything with Sam. How she used to have sleepless nights, how her phD made her a star among her peers, why did he decide to not do any long scholar diploma, was Lucius always this THICC... A little bit of everything.

-For the question, Lucius used to be thin but became a healthy chonky boi after eating too many treats.-

She also bought some colorful wool -named “Hug me tender”- and a couple of crochet. She had found a tutorial about a skull cardigan on YouTube and she decided to do it. Maybe do one for Yuu and a little one for Grim if she had enough courage and her obsession was still on. She was in full arts & craft mode. It often came with her mania and it disappeared when she felt “normal” again. She always had many hobbies when she was in mania that she abandoned when she was in depression. She just hoped she could finish her cardigan in time for Christmas. She was the type of person that thinks that Halloween is all year long and pests when Christmas ads come before Halloween.

She went to her desk, deciding to procrastinate. Crowley never looked at what she did. He didn’t even understand what she did.

She wasn’t in the mood to work. She wanted to crochet and sleep. It was really a particular state of mind, to want to sleep so much and not do it, despite all the efforts in the world. It was… Irritating. She was sleeping the bare minimum for the human body to function, but not enough for the brain to handle the memories of the day. You couldn’t manage to do anything, everything was going too fast since your brain couldn’t handle the information well. Your senses were messed up too, having hallucinations for example.

It was a sh*tty moment to live. Hard days without proper medical help. She could just hope that Crewel’s tonic and the pillow will help her. Speaking of the pillow… She put the pillow on the chair, for her back. It wasn’t meant to be used like this but it would do for the moment.

She began crocheting. From what she understood, she needed to do 116 granny square. It felt good to procrastinate.

She heard a knock on the door. She quickly hidden the yarn. “Yes ?”

Crowley entered, a little timid. “It’s about earlier, Mrs Devi…”

Victoria became annoyed. “What about it ?”

Crowley sweated a little. “Well I wanted to apologize and explain myself, since I couldn’t do it when we clashed.”

[AH!] She spoke like it was evidence. “At the same time, I didn’t want to hear your tiny violin.”

He mimicked as if an arrow struck him in the chest. “Ouch, Mrs Devi can’t you be a little more generous, like me ?”

Victoria blinked for a few seconds. A few very long seconds. “No. I am a French monsieur, I am a pitbull made to grumble.”

Crowley looked at her, jaded. She continued. “Well, Can you explain to me why you want Yuu to attend class so much ?”

Crowley inhaled. “Even if Yuu isn’t from this world, it is important to set an example. It is normal for children to have those phases, but we can’t expect Yuu to miss school at the minor inconvenience.”

The woman blinked. “A… Minor… Inconvenience ? An overblot seems more than a minor inconvenience.”

The man continued. “My point is that, even if for you it seems like a quota, it wouldn’t be possible for a non-mage to enter this school. It really is just a matter of equity. Plus Yuu doesn’t have a guardian to sign his absence note.”

She cried out. “I can just adopt them ! I am old enough to have a child. Like this my mom will stop criticizing my life choices.” 

It was the raven's turn to cry out. “How are you going to do that ? You have no paper !”

There was a blank for a few seconds. “Very true… By the way, you wouldn’t know a doctor that accepts to see people without insurance or social security number ?”

Crowley looked at her, interrogative. “I can find that, yes… For when ?”

|I knew he was shady !!]. She answered with all the confidence in the world. “ASAP please, I need to sleep, else I will become more of a handful than I already am.”

Crowley nodded. “Very well… Could you give me your number so I can give you the details when I have your appointment ?”

The woman nodded. “Very well, it’s…”

When she got home, she got a text from Crowley indicating the details of the meeting, in a week from now. [He knows shady people too.] was her only thought. She was going to pay a lot of money for this appointment…

After an hour or so, she opened the windows and began to prepare the wall to be painted again. She decided to go for a more pine tree green than the original olive one. It was more ‘cute’ for her.

Yuu got downstairs at that moment. They were intrigued by her antics. “What are you doing ?” 

Victoria smiled. “I am preparing the wall to be painted… Want to help ?”

The Child’s eyes sparkled. “Really ?? What can I do ?”

The woman smiled. “Grab this brush and paint the wall in long vertical then horizontal strokes.”

They grabbed the brush and began to apply her advice. It made her smile fondly. She liked this kind of atmosphere. It reminded her of when at all of her cousins' weddings where she had to animate the painting activities for the children. Such fun times.

She asked. “What did you do today, baby ?”

Without looking away from the wall, Yuu answered. “I read the manuals. There are a lot of things I don’t know here.”

She put her hand on her heart. “Oooh studious like mom- I mean, me ! You need knowledge to adapt to a new environment !”

That night she didn’t sleep much despite the tonic. She was in her bed doing crochet. It is amazing all you can do when you don’t sleep at night. She refused to look at YouTube, she knew better now. Not today blue screen, not today.

She needed to train a lot to do regular stitches. It was hard when you see badly. So doing meticulous tasks had begun to be tedious, uh ? It was going to be a long week…

A voice could be heard. “I love you.”

She knew it deep down. She had auditory hallucinations about her ex.

I am feeling like Victoria : at the end of the rope.

Warning : no proof reading, English is not my mother tongue.

Trigger warning : once sentence speak about unaliving themselves.

If you are interested in reading this fic, the tag "#twst lmsyy" will give you all the chapters.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Sleep didn’t find her that night. She was in her bath, in warm water, while trying to focus on relaxing. [It decided. Tomorrow I am going to go to Sam’s and try to buy essential oils or stuff like that…]

She lay down in the bath so the water level was under her nose. [I wonder if I can get higher grade antipsychotics or sleeping pills here… It is going to cost a lot of money but I can try seeing a doctor.]

She blew bubbles. [Maybe I should just speak about it to Crewel. He should be able to make a sleeping potion.]

Her alarm rung. She got out of the water and wore her bathrobe. Victoria looked at herself in the mirror. The dark circles were even darker. They seemed eggplant-ish. The woman looked at her concealer. [Nearly empty. I need to buy some. I should ask Sam or Crewel where to buy a good one.]

She decided to wear a black mom high waisted jeans with a black t-shirt. The top had a rose held by a hand with a “Will you marry me ?” written across the shoulders. To complete the look she wore a brown belt with a silver chain hanging from it and some black sneakers.

She looked at herself in the mirror. She was tired and it was visible despite the makeup. Victoria wasn’t just physically tired, she was becoming mentally tired. It was funny how her mental disorder was really 2 extremes. She was so hype that she was physically and mentally drained. [What a life… I wouldn’t even wish for my worst enemy to have this sh*t.]

She prepared breakfast for everyone like always. Yuu arrived in the kitchen, still in PJs and worn out. Yuu said in a little voice. “I don’t feel well today. I don’twant to go to school today…”

Victoria sighed. They both weren’t in good shape today. “Go back to bed after eating a little, I will invent an excuse for you.”

Grim jumped on the occasion. “I don’t want to go to school either !”

The woman grabbed Grim and carried him. “Do you feel sick ?”

She put her hand on his nose. “Mmmmh you don’t seem hot. Aren’t you lying to me young Sir ?”

The demon struggled and said. “Don’t touch my nose like that !”

Victoria had a faint smile. “Grim, it is the only way for me to know if you have a fever. You have fur all over you.”

Grim changed his strategy. “I have a tummy ache !”

She felt his stomach. “It doesn’t seem tense… You are lying young Sir ! You are going to school today and bring me your notes.”

Grim was dejected. He mumbled. “How did she do… Is she a witch ?”

Victoria bent and whispered, making the demon jump. “No, I am even worse… I am your mom, Grim.”

Grim threw his paws in the air. “You’re not my MOOOOOM !! You didn’t give birth to me !”

She patted his head with a smile on her face. “Family isn’t always about blood, but the one you choose.”

They both went to school while Yuu shut themself in their room.

Victoria scratched her head when she was left alone in the corridor, swiping the floor. She was tidying the carpet when suddenly a voice came from nowhere. “Where can I find the toilet, please ?”

Victoria answered without looking. “3rd door on the left.”

She yawned, hearing the footsteps going away. When she looked up, expecting to see someone entering the bathroom, but she saw no one. She frowned. Maybe he was fast ? [He must really have wanted to pee. Oh well, It is none of my business.]

She continued to swipe until recess.

When the students were enjoying their time off. She knocked on Crewel’s door. “Excuse me, Professor Crewel ? I would like to speak with you for a few minutes…”

He looked above his papers. “Dr Devi ? Come in ! What is happening ? … You seem tired.”

She had a faint smile. “Yeah about that… Do you have something to help me sleep ? I can’t sleep well these days.”

Crewel wondered. She truly seemed at the end of the rope. “I can make you a tonic. It won’t substitute a good night of sleep but it will help a bit to put you to sleep.”

Victoria smiled. “Thank you…”

That afternoon, she was going back to her duties when Crowley found her. He seemed quite angry. “Mrs Devi ! I can be gracious and magnanimous but Yuu has to attend classes ! They are already lost in class, they don’t need time off.”

Victoria was annoyed. “What. Did. You. Say ?”

Crowley crossed his arms. “I hope they have a good excuse for not coming to class today !”

Victoria was clearly not having it. “And witnessing an overblot should be a good excuse ?”

Crowley opened his eyes wide, sweating. Seeing him not answering her, she saw red. “So you mean that WE are supposed to act like normal when anybody here can hurt us with their magic like a flick of their wrist ? You want a child that puts their life in danger to go to school ? For F sake where are we ?”

Sweating, Crowley answered. “In Night Raven College ?”

She tilted her head, eyes wide. “Is it for the sake of your quota ? All of that just to have a good class average ? Are you kidding me ?”

She observed him, her eyes beginning to be filled by tears. “You swore it wasn’t going to happen again… You’re just a liar.”

And she ran away.

It was Sam who found her first, crying against his door. “What happened doctor imp ?”

Victoria looked at him through her tears. “I am a bad guardian. I won’t let Yuu attend school today because they witnessed something bad and Crowley hold me responsible for that.”

Sam sighed and pushed the door. “Oh, Leona’s overblot hu ? Come in.”

She heard a voice speak. “You’re the worst.”

She turned around. No one was here.

Sam looked behind him. “What happened ?”

Victoria squinted her eyes. “Nothing… Just the wind, I think.”

He made her an instant hot cocoa. “Are you feeling better ?”

Victoria nodded and blew on her drink. “Yeah, thank you… I just don’t sleep enough those days.”

Sam’s eyes sparkled. Victoria looked at him, unsure. “Yeeees ???”

Sam screamed full of joy “IN STOCK !! A pillow so wonderful you will sleep on it in no time ! And to a discount price of 50 madols !”

She sighed. Today was a long day.