— And you were left alone again, Danielle. — The woman's laughter drives the teenager crazy. The girl tries to ignore her, especially since her presence is a daily occurrence. She is used to it, since it has accompanied her for more than ten years. — You are sad again, gloomy, because he is gone. You are left alone. There is no one to protect you.... You will endure this all your life, you will suffer. When one twin is happy, the other's life is decked in sheer misery....
Danielle measures her biological mother with her eyes, feeling like sending her off to the devil.
— I don't understand why you picked on me, but if my twin is alive somewhere, go to her and give me peace of mind.
The phantom hums a somber tune, driving the teenager crazy.
— I chose you because you are suffering. You are unloved, and I like souls covered in darkness. — Her singing gets louder, with which she tries to get Danielle unbalanced.
— Since you were so stupid when you were alive, I'm not surprised that you died quickly.
This is what the ghost didn't expect.
She looks at Danielle with surprised eyes. At one point she bursts out laughing.
— I like you. You are funny. — She lifts her thumb up, having a great time.
— You may think I'm mentally weak, but you'll see that I'll win against my mother.... I will fight her, I will defeat her.
— How can you call this woman a mother? I'm the one who gave birth to you. — The ghost slaps his hand on his chest. — This woman has been hurting you all your life. You are her puppet, an obedient toy.
The girl throws herself on the bed and spreads her arms, looking at the ceiling with bored eyes.
— You keep repeating the same words to me, but never offer something with which I can beat her.
The phantom hovers above the girl, looking amused.
— You have a strong character, but you are mentally weak. Prove that I can be proud of you, Danielle.
The 14-year-old girl squints her eyes, then opens them wide, looking as if she got an idea.
— Let's make a deal! — She rises from the mattress and extends his hand to her, which the ghost can't shake anyway. — Since you want to be proud of me, suggest to me what I should do, and I'll do it. Let's act together!
The woman smiles mysteriously.
— What's the catch in this?
— One day you'll just give me a holy break. — She shrugs her shoulders. — Be proud of me, and then leave.
— So young, and already canny....
*
The last roommate turns out to be the most normal of them all, although perfect he is not, since he would most willingly walk up everyone's ass.
First impression: an asshole.
Jin sits on the bed, a bowl of popcorn in his hand, which his new colleague eats out. Tom is grinning from ear to ear, pleased that his roommates are hot as hell. He's sure that since the four of them look divine, they'll become popular pretty quickly.
He loves to make a fuss around himself.
— You are so perfect... — He places his hand, which he is not eating, on Jin's knee. — Do you have a chica?
The brunet looks at him, not knowing what the term is. This is the first time he encounters such a word.
— What?
Tom squints his eyes suspiciously.
— It must be some kind of celebrity?
— What are you talking about?
— Don't pretend to be shy! — He slaps his knee so hard that the popcorn falls out of Jin's mouth — It's obvious that you have chicks in tow. Any slaves? — His smile looks roguish. — Sex slaves? Black, Asian, experienced, virgins?
Joseph and Jimmy, who are watching them from the bed on the opposite side, have a good laugh.
— I wonder what this man is taking.... — Jimmy puts his finger to his lips, then turns to Tom. — Do you have any green plots in the middle of nowhere?
— He's probably watching some good pornography. Do you have records with you? — Joseph plays with the cell phone in his hand, impatiently waiting for his new colleague's answer.
— From there! — Tom crosses his arms. — I have partially seen only one movie. A buddy lent it to me, claiming it was a good fairy tale. What was the title... I think it was "Kittens in the Jungle." I fired it up for my little brother, and from the kitchen I heard him calling out that people dressed as animals were doing something strange. I realized it wasn't a cartoon when I heard women gasping.
Jimmy laughed so hard that he lay down on Joseph's knee. The boy, however, does not like the closeness and throws his head off her leg.
— Find yourself a babe, I'm not your cuddle.
Their conversations and laughter are endless. Until the evening, they sit in a room, trying to get to know each other. Jimmy tells a funny story from middle school, when he deceived a silly peer who believed he saw her face at birth. He told her that every man has a vision of the future in which he sees the woman destined for him.
Jin takes his cell phone in his hand, noticing that he received a text message. A smile appears on his face because it's a message from Danielle.
He looks at the photo, which shows a sad 14-year-old hugging a teddy bear.
"I swear that by the time you get home, I'll be in the loony bin."
He immediately writes her back on the message, disconnecting himself from his colleagues' conversation.
"You? No way. You'd have to meet my roommate, he's fit for the locked ward. Word of honor."
Tom sticks his nose into his phone screen and blinks his eyelids.
— What's it like to text with your love?
Jin hides the phone, offended by his behavior.
— It's inappropriate to read someone's messages.
— I was not interested in the content, but in the name of this woman. Danielle? She must be beautiful.
The brunet rolls his eyes.
— That's my sister — he says offhandedly, hoping the strange roommate will put him at ease. — I don't know what it's like to write with love because I don't have one.
His friend looks disappointed.
— Strange you are.
Jimmy can't hold back his laughter. It seems to him that these will be three, the most fun years of his life. He couldn't have come across better roommates.
*
The cafeteria is filled to the brim in the morning. Students descend as early as possible for breakfast, discussing Horace Mann. They discuss the interior, the timetable, the tutors, and the teachers they've managed to see....
Holding a tray of food, Jin looks around the room, looking for a table to sit at. Considering that everything is filled, he finally chooses a seat opposite a girl sitting alone.
A teenage girl with short-cropped hair lifts her face and looks at him with wide-open eyes for a long moment.
— Can I sit down? — It seems to him that the girl is against it, considering the look on her face.
— O-Of course. I just finished — she says hurriedly, rising from her chair. — Enjoy your meal. — The boy crinkles his eyebrows, not understanding what she means.
— If you've been holding this seat for someone else, I'll move over.
The 17-year-old sees the amused faces of her classmates. Probably they have a laugh at her being abashed by the presence of a handsome boy.
She leaves the table and watches as they sit down with the freshman, flirtatiously batting her eyelashes.
— This boy is perfect — mutters Solar uncomfortably as she steps back. She inattentively falls into someone's arms, yet doesn't panic when she hears a familiar voice.
— Were you looking for me?
She turns to face Joseph, and her lips stretch in a smile.
— Why didn't you want to meet me yesterday?
— After all, I wrote to you that I was busy. — Solar looks offended. — I didn't come to Horace Mann for you to hold my hand.
She knows his character and knows that he gets cranky pretty quickly, which is why she is the first to let go every time.
— Bottom line. I have no intention of holding your hand.
Joseph looks around the cafeteria, realizing that there are no more free tables.
— Why aren't you eating? — With astonishment in his eyes, he looks at the unfinished meal the girl is holding on the tray. — Don't you have an appetite?
— Let's just say the crowds are making me suffer from indigestion.
The 16-year-old sighs pityingly.
— I hoped you had grown out of it.... Are you still afraid of people? Don't act like an orphan.
As usual, he says what comes to his tongue.
— Finally, understand that I don't have your character. I don't like being around many people. It makes me tired.
— That's why you have no friends. If it weren't for me, you would have died of loneliness long ago. — He shakes his head, then dodges her as his gaze finds Jin in the company of girls. He reaches out to them, immediately finding common ground.
— I'm afraid that I will eventually lose you too.... — whispers Solar in a brittle voice, looking sad.
*
After finishing her lessons, Danielle returns home and settles down on the living room couch, throwing her bag somewhere in the middle of the floor. Her mother, who comes down to the first floor, looks at her with disgust in her eyes.
— You bring me shame — she speaks as she stands in front of her with her arms crossed over her chest.
The 14-year-old smiles mockingly.
— They quickly informed you, mommy. — Her arrogance further drives the woman crazy.
On the very first day of school, Danielle hit an unattractive peer who had the audacity to ask her if they would sit together in a bench.
— Are you doing this to spite me?
— I'm returning the favor — she says boldly, out of the corner of her eye watching the apparition who raises her thumb in the air. — I intend to treat you the same way you've treated me all my life.
The woman massages the back of her nose, trying to calm herself down.
— If you were obedient, I wouldn't have to deal with you so much.
— Sting?
— Yes, because you act like a little monster, not a child.
Danielle's face reddens with anger.
— You're the one who created a monster out of me! It is solely your fault that I hate all the people around me!
The mother slaps her daughter in the face, trying to bring her to order.
— I warn you that if you continue to attempt to rebel, I'll start giving you harsher punishments. I will do everything to make you regain your sanity.
— All right, mommy. We'll see which one of us turns out to be stronger, because I'm going to show everyone at school that I'm the one with the power. Haven't you been instilling this in me all my life? — She walks over to her bag, which is lying in the middle of the floor, and pulls out her cell phone. She smiles slightly, seeing that she has a new message from Jin. — You know... — She looks over her shoulder and looks at her mother with disgust. — If you had an unhappy childhood and adopted me just to take it out on me for all the pain you experienced, you're the problem, not me.
The Phantom, who is standing by, looks at Danielle with pride in her eyes.
— That's right, girl. Show her that you are strong.