#happy holidays everyone WOOHOOOOO

[s0livagant]

I was tagged by sweet dj @singledadharrington to decorate their Christmas tree and make my own!

Feel free to leave me a lil message and make your own tree!

Merry Christmas & happy holidays babies, I’m tagging: @ofthecaravel @the-starcatcher @talkfastcal @honeybunchcalum @secretkoalasandwich @joshkiszkashusband @princereece @afreshcoatofpaint @ikyw-t @brattyjake @jaakey @runwayblues @myfriendtheghost @tripthelight-fanfic and anyone else who wants to make a tree and/or decorate mine !! Tag me and I’ll leave you a treat!

[3schia]

CHAPTER 7 

“In a Sudden” 

[SEPTEMBER 2013] 

As time passes, our bond becomes stronger.  

We had a lot of trips.  

This is our first time traveling this often.  

We’re traveling almost every weekend.  

Gray is just so generous to us.  

Faith also invited Gray to join us in doing charitable activities.  

And this has become our life since then. 

ISLA: We’re traveling every weekend. How about Raquel and Cherry? 

GRAY: I meet them the other days 

ISLA: Like after work? 

GRAY: Anytime during the weekdays 

ISLA: Are you working online? 

GRAY: I don’t work like you’re doing. I handle my own time. 

ISLA: So, what’s your work? 

GRAY: I have my own resto bar. 

ISLA: Ha? 

GRAY: Yeah. 

ISLA: Why didn’t you tell me? 

GRAY: You didn’t ask, right? 

ISLA: Oh, I didn’t expect that you’re rich. 

GRAY: I’m not. It’s just a resto bar. 

ISLA: What’s the name? 

GRAY: Gray’s Resto Bar. 

ISLA:  Oh... Is that the one? 

GRAY:  Yap. That’s mine. 

ISLA: You have such a good life, huh? But you’re so simple. Like... You’re joining us in feeding programs, even if it’s hot. 

Then Gray just laughed at me. 

GRAY: How about your parents? What do they do? 

ISLA: Dad is a software developer, and mom is a pharmacist. And your parents? 

GRAY: They are running a business. 

ISLA: What’s their business? 

GRAY: Do you know the Mcdowney Staycation? 

ISLA: Wait... Is that the one in Seville? 

GRAY: Yap. 

ISLA: Oh! Are you that rich? 

GRAY: It’s theirs, not mine. 

ISLA: They are your parents, tho. 

. 

. 

. 

GRAY: Do you want to come there sometimes? 

ISLA: Of course! 

GRAY: I’ll be celebrating my birthday there on September 25... Wait, you’re a Pisces, right? When exactly is your birthday? 

ISLA: Hmmm. February... 28 

GRAY: Why did you think that long? 

ISLA: Ha? I’m thinking of something else. 

GRAY: What is it? 

ISLA: Nothing. Let’s party! 

*At a beach party~ 

Everyone is dancing... 

Wooooohooooooo!  

Party partyyyyy! 

*Tugs! Tugs! Tugs! Tugs! Tugs! Tugs! Tugs! 

. 

FAITH: This is like... one of the best chapters in our lives! 

ISLA: Yeah!!! 

FAITH: You know what?... 

I had a dream last week...  

Like...  

I’m in heaven. 

*Then I just laughed. 

FAITH: Maybe this is it! We’re living the life, Isla! 

ISLA: Yeah! Thanks to Gray! 

Tugs! Tugs! Tugs! Tugs! Tugs! Tugs! Tugs! 

Cheers!!! 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

And that feels like a long vacation, thanks to the holiday. Thanks, Gray! 

--- 

Then, here we are at Gray’s Resto Bar. 

Happy 31st Birthday, Sir Gray!  

Woohooooo! 

Gray introduced us to his employees. 

GRAY: Here’s my girlfriend, Isla. 

And here’s my long-lost half-sister, Mercedes.  

And my beautiful niece, Faith. 

“Hi!” 

“Hello!”  

The staff greeted us. 

“How are you?”  

“How old are you?” 

“Where are you working?” 

Yeah, we are very welcomed by Gray’s staff. 

And this day is just so special for us, especially for Gray. 

ISLA: Gray, where are your parents? 

GRAY: We’ll have a separate celebration later at my home.  

ISLA: How about Raquel and Cherry? 

GRAY: After my relationship with Precious, I’m just keeping my relationship private.  

ISLA: Then, what is this? You just introduced me to your staff as your girlfriend. 

GRAY: Well, you’re an exemption. Because of you, I found Sis Mercedes and Faith. 

ISLA: Oh. 

GRAY: Yeah. You are special to me, Isla. 

ISLA: Hmm. Will you also introduce them to your staff? How about in your family? 

GRAY: Well, they are not asking to be introduced.  

ISLA: Oh. 

GRAY: Come with me later, I’ll introduce you to mom and dad. 

ISLA: No, I don’t want to. 

GRAY: Why? 

ISLA: Well, we are like.. very different. You have such a good life compared to me. 

GRAY: Sus! It doesn’t matter. 

ISLA: But still! I don’t want to.  

GRAY: Just tell me when you finally want to meet them. 

--- 

[OCTOBER 2013] 

* 

Due to busy schedules, there are still weeks that we don’t see each other. 

“Here’s a gift for you, Isla!” 

“Thanks, Faith!” 

“What’s Gray’s gift for you?” 

“Ahh. Ahmmm... A dress! Yeah, a dress.” 

“Where is he now?” 

“He’s actually busy... Ahm, I’ll go tomorrow to my family” 

“Alright, enjoy!” 

* 

--- 

Christmas is approaching!  

So, I bought gifts for my family, and of course, for Auntie, Faith, and Gray. 

Before going back to my family to celebrate Christmas tomorrow,  

I was about to leave my apartment to give my gifts to Auntie and Faith when Gray knocked at my door. 

“Merry Christmas, Honey!” Gray greets. 

“Wow! Merry Christmas! Thank you... I also have a gift for you.” 

“Thank you!” 

I received lots of gifts from Gray, Faith, and Auntie. 

I’m so happy! He gave me a phone, shoes, and bags. 

To have our advance celebration since I won’t be here tomorrow, we ate at a fine dining restaurant. 

Then, here I am in our province, with my family. 

Merry Christmas! 

I gave them lots of gifts. And I also received gifts from them. 

“You look so blooming, sister.” My brother said. 

“Yeah. Are you in love again?” My mom asked. 

“Ha? I’m not,” I answered. 

“Weh?” My younger sister said. 

Then, we celebrated Christmas. 

Like... Yeah... I’m so happy in this chapter of my life because of Gray. 

--- 

[JANUARY 2014] 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  

Cheers! 

Fast forward... 

It’s Friday night... 

Gray stayed at my apartment because tomorrow we’ll be volunteering to give relief goods to people... 

And we’re about to go to sleep... 

GRAY: You know what? I feel like random people are following me whenever I leave my sister’s home. 

ISLA: Ha? Maybe they have a crush on you. 

GRAY: No, they are men. 

ISLA: Oh. Maybe you’re just overthinking. 

GRAY: I hope so. 

ISLA: Or maybe they are ex-boyfriends of Raquel and Cherry? 

GRAY: Hmm. I don’t know. I’ll just ask for photos of their exes. 

* Raquel and Cherry sent the photos of their exes. 

GRAY: None of them look like the men who are stalking me 

ISLA: Oh. Just observe the next few days after you leave Auntie’s home to see if they are still stalking you.  

. 

Wait. You can check the CCTV records. 

GRAY: Right. 

--- 

And then it’s Saturday... 

A tiring day... 

but seeing people happily accept their goods is just so fulfilling. 

Everyone is just busy doing their things... 

“I don’t feel good today.” Gray said. 

“Why?” I asked. 

“I don’t know.” he answered. 

>>> BOOM!!! <<< 

A bomb just exploded... 

. 

. 

. 

LIKE F*CK? 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

Everyone was just in total shock... 

. 

. 

. 

“What was that?” 

“Who da fvk did that?” 

People are complaining... 

. 

. 

. 

“Are you guys okay?” Auntie asked. 

“Yeah, we’re fine.” I answered. 

“What was that?” Gray asked. 

. 

. 

. 

Then Auntie asked... 

“Where is Faith?” 

. 

. 

. 

. 

“A woman is dead... A woman is dead.” a man said. 

. 

. 

. 

“Where?” 

. 

. 

. 

“Three women are injured, and one is dead” 

. 

. 

. 

“Where?” 

. 

. 

. 

“Where?!” 

. 

. 

. 

“At the parking lot” 

. 

. 

. 

Then we rushed to the parking lot to see the victims... 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

And... 

. 

. 

. 

. 

. 

I can’t say anything else... But, 

.  

. 

. 

. 

. 

MY FAITH IS DEAD. 

CHAPTER 8 

“The Root of All Evil” 

ISLA: I remember last Sunday, when we were all dancing at the beach, Faith told me about her dream. 

GRAY: What dream? 

ISLA: ... That she’s in heaven... 

GRAY: We must find the criminal. 

--- 

Faith’s case is now under investigation... 

INVESTIGATOR: Did Faith have a fight with someone else? 

ISLA: No, she doesn’t have a single enemy. Her life is just like.. work and church. Then travel. 

AUNTIE: Faith is too good to have an enemy. She must just be a victim of it. 

INVESTIGATOR: How about you, her family? 

AUNTIE: We don’t have. 

GRAY: Do you remember what I told you last week? 

ISLA: Your stalkers? Have you checked on them? 

GRAY: I haven’t... 

INVESTIGATOR:  What stalkers? 

GRAY: Since last month, I feel like there are random men following me whenever I leave my sister’s home. Can you check on it?  

Then, we checked all the CCTV records... 

INVSTGTR: They really are stalking you, sir. 

ISLA: They are all wearing hats.  

INVSTGTR: Do you have any idea who they are? Did you have a fight with someone else before? 

GRAY: There are only two people with whom I had a fight back then. The Chairman-CEO and EVP of VenZon Corporación, Steven Esperanza and Jazon Castro. 

AUNTIE: I know them, they are extremely rich people. 

ISLA: It must be them. Why did you have a fight? 

GRAY: They must have discovered that Faith is related to me.  

AUNTIE: I also had an argument with Steven before, I was a custodian in their company. I was accused of stealing his watch, costing around €82,000.00. They haven’t found any evidence, yet he fired me. After a few months, someone set fire to the apartment I was renting out. We were so stressed back then, but I couldn’t do anything. No criminals were found. The same happened to another custodian, her mini store was set on fire. I don’t know the exact issue, but there’s a rumor that it’s most probably because of Jazon. 

GRAY: Sir, please investigate them. 

INVSTGTR: Okay, we will. 

--- 

ISLA: Then, in my room, Gray told me something. 

GRAY: I remember something I didn’t say to the investigator 

ISLA: What? 

GRAY: On that day, a woman was rushing me to get the goods on that truck where the bomb was put. 

ISLA:  Then? 

GRAY: I was busy distributing the goods to people, so I asked Faith to get them. 

Then Gray just had a deep sigh.  

I feel his disappointment...  

like he carries all the burdens. 

GRAY: I hate myself. I really do. 

ISLA:  It’s not your fault 

May I know why you had a fight with them? 

GRAY: We were all friends from first-year college until our first work. I’m the only one who got a Latin honor among the three of us. 

ISLA: Then? 

GRAY: Jazon was happy for me, but I felt like Steven was not. But I just ignored it. Then, we all joined Corporación de Pio to gain some experience. Steven didn’t need to work actually as he came from rich parents and he’s the only child. After almost a year of working, Steven thought of an idea. 

ISLA: What idea? 

GRAY: He invited us to come up with ideas for a business plan, so we could have a business of our own. After a month, they both resigned, and told me they would find another company to work for. I wondered why they both became cold to me in the last few days. I asked them for updates about our planned business until they totally stopped communicating with me. I was hurt by what they did. After a year, I knew through my coworkers that Steven and Jazon had finally established their own company. After searching about it, I learned that the marketing ideas for their business were mine. And yeah, that’s the VenZon Corporación,  

the most popular coffee shop in Madrid, since it’s not a typical coffee shop, it’s a coffee bar. I was so angry at them during those times.  

ISLA: F*ck... 

[FEBRUARY 2014] 

Based on the investigation, all the volunteers were found innocent.   

However, they said that they couldn’t detect where all the people on that day came from, and their faces were blurred on the record. 

Gray and I did almost everything to find the criminal.  

GRAY: Steven and Jazon must be the only masterminds of it. They are just hiding the evidence, as the two could have given them millions to protect their identities. 

ISLA: That’s what I’ve also thought of since the moment the investigator asked you with whom you had a fight before. I noticed that he suddenly became quiet after knowing that the Chairman-CEO and EVP of VenZon Corporación are the only people with whom you had a fight... They are f*ck*g rich, so I wasn’t surprised by your assumption. 

- 

ISLA: Do you believe in bad luck? 

GRAY: No, I think the only thing that has true luck is in quantum mechanics, where there is true randomness. Otherwise, everything that happens is because some entity acted on something to make it happen. Even when you roll a die, if you can calculate the exact force and trajectory of your dice throw and if you have exact control of your motor function, you can determine how it will land before it actually stops rolling. Why do you ask? 

ISLA: Nothing. 

GRAY: How about you? Do you believe in luck? 

ISLA: I believe in both good and bad luck, even if I don’t know exactly the explanation behind this belief. 

GRAY: That’s one reason why religion and science cannot coexist. 

ISLA: So, what’s your religion? 

GRAY: I don’t believe in the existence of a divine being. How about you? 

ISLA: I belonged to two religions back then. I belonged to the first one for more than two decades, and the other one was just for a few months. 

GRAY: But you’re doing charitable activities in that church? 

ISLA: I’m just doing it for people, but I don’t belong in that church, just like Faith. GRAY: Oh, you also don’t believe in God anymore? 

ISLA: Well, I’m not like you. I still believe in God, but I decided not to belong to any religion anymore.  

GRAY: Why? 

ISLA: That’s one thing I just want to keep to myself. I felt better when I chose spiritual independence. 

--- 

GRAY: I will make them pay for what they’ve done to my only niece. 

ISLA: I’ll join you. 

GRAY: You have no idea how risky it is. 

ISLA: You have no idea what I’m capable of doing. 

GRAY: Let me think first. 

ISLA: This is not an exchange for the favor you’ve done to me.  

GRAY: No, leave it to me. 

ISLA: You have 24 hours to make it official that I am part of that mission. If you don’t, I will make my own plans to destroy them myself. 

GRAY: You’re in. 

ISLA: I will do  e v e r y t h i n g  to get our revenge. 

GRAY: This is not revenge, only justice. 

. 

. 

. 

ISLA: Who else will join us? 

GRAY: We can’t have other people’s loyalty since they will know that Steven and Jazon are the ones we are going to destroy. They will only be scared. Besides, most people’s loyalty is invested in money, not in people. They will only betray us. 

ISLA: Yeah. We can’t trust anyone else. 

GRAY: Will you be loyal to me? 

ISLA: Not to you...But to our mission. 

GRAY: Good. 

~ 

GRAY: Most lives are uninteresting... 

  So, why don’t we make a thrill? 

ISLA: What kind of thrill? 

GRAY: This will take a long time to finally accomplish the mission. 

ISLA: Then? 

GRAY: You know... We must live together to make the plans. 

ISLA: Then? 

GRAY: We may fall for each other, like.. we may love each other for real. 

ISLA: What makes you say that I will love you that way? Just to remind you, sex is just sex for me. 

GRAY: Oh, common! 

ISLA: Okay, deal... So, what kind of deal are we having? 

. 

. 

. 

Wait, I have thought of something. 

GRAY: What? 

ISLA: If I’m the first one to fall in love, I’ll pay you €100,000.00. And if you do, you’ll pay me €1,000,000.00 since one hundred thousand will just be easy for you. Deal? 

GRAY: Deal! 

. 

. 

. 

Wait, next week is your birthday. How are we going to celebrate that? 

ISLA: Ha?... Ahhh. Yeah. February 28! ... I don’t want to celebrate it. I’m still sad. 

GRAY: No, we should still celebrate it, Isla. 

“Happy 24th birthday!” 

“Thanks!” 

“So, you’ll go today to your family?” 

“Ahh. Hmm. Yeah. That’s why I took a leave today.” 

“Okay. Let’s eat!” 

. 

. 

. 

“Thanks. You make me happy today.” 

--- 

[MARCH 2014] 

GRAY: This time, I'll be the mastermind 

ISLA: And I'll be your ally 

GRAY: Until when? 

ISLA:  Till the end.  

GRAY: How can you be useful to me this time?  

ISLA: I will do everything... I will make us win... No matter what  

. 

. 

. 

GRAY: Will you follow my ordinances? 

. 

. 

ISLA: Mhmm! 

So, what’s the 1st ordinance, Master Libra? 

#Heaven 

#ForFaith 

CHAPTER 9 

“BECOME A CHESS MASTER” 

ISLA: Why should I? 

GRAY: It’s part of the plan 

ISLA: Can you explain? 

GRAY: This time, I’ll be the mastermind. You just have to do it. 

ISLA:  Alright! 

GRAY: It takes strong dedication to become a chess master. You’ll have to spend at least 10,000 hours of constant practice. 

ISLA: That long? Who will teach me? 

GRAY: Pack your things and move to my home as soon as possible. 

ISLA: So... 

GRAY: Yap. I’m a chess master.  

ISLA: Oh. 

GRAY:  So, pack your things and move to my home. 

ISLA:  Aye aye, Captain! 

--- 

“Hey, tender a resignation.” Gray asked. 

“Oh. I can’t do that; I like my work. And I’m giving money to my family.” I replied. 

“Hmm. If that’s the case, then let’s just rent the nearest apartment in your office. So, we could maximize the time.” 

“Mhmm!” 

“Okay. Let’s organize your schedule.” 

“Can you tell me now all the plans?” I asked. 

“This time, I’ll be the mastermind... and?” 

“I’ll be your ally.” 

“How many hours do you sleep?” Gray asked. 

“Eight” 

“Make it seven. How many minutes do you prepare for work?” 

“Thirty minutes” 

--- 

Then, we transferred to our chosen apartment near my work. 

“You are at the office nine hours a day, from Mondays to Fridays. It only takes 10 minutes to and from your building and around 5 minutes for you to get to and leave your office.”  

“Yeah.” 

“You’ll eat your breakfast in the car while I’m driving. 

We can get home at 5:15 and we have 15 minutes to eat our dinner every day.” 

“Mhmm! That can be.” 

“Then I’ll start teaching you at 5:30, for 4 straight hours, and then we’ll have a 10-minute break after. We’ll continue at 9:40, then stop at 12 midnight. You can wake up at 7:15 if you’re preparing yourself for 30 minutes.” 

 

“Alright!” 

“That will give us 6 hours and 20 minutes of practice every day.  

That’s equivalent to 31 hours and 40 minutes in 5 days. 

For weekends, I’ll teach you from 8 AM to 12 noon.  

We’ll continue from 12:20 to 3 PM.  

Then we’ll have a 10-minute break after, a 15-minute dinner, another 10-minute break, and then we’ll stop at 12 midnight. So, your body clock won’t change.  

That will give us 30 hours. 

Overall, in a week, we can have 61 hours and 40 minutes of practice. But just expect that this schedule cannot be perfectly followed since there will be days when we’ll not be in the mood to practice. Hmm.  

In a month, that’s almost 247 hours. We can have more than 3,000 hours of practice in a year, given that there are holidays. I’ll let you watch online tutorials as well.” 

“Yap!” 

“It will take us more than three years if you won’t resign from your job.  

But I respect your decision.” 

--- 

Then, here we start... 

“Okay. Let’s start with the basics. 

Set up the chess board with a white square in the bottom right-hand corner. 

Put all of the pieces facing each other on the back two rows of each side.  

Put the pawns in front, then line up the other pieces symmetrically with the king and queen in the middle. 

Then each player controls 16 pieces: 8 pawns, 2 bishops, 2 knights, 2 rooks, 1 king, and 1 queen.  

Each type has its own way of moving across the board and potentially capturing your opponent's pieces as it goes. 

Okay, let’s start with the pawns. Per turn, pawns can be moved 1 square forward, except on your first turn when you can move forward 2 squares. Pawns capture other pieces diagonally, moving one space diagonally forward, and they cannot be moved backward. 

Next, the Rooks. Using Rook, you can go to as many squares as possible, either horizontally or vertically. If one of your pieces is in the way, it must stop at the square just before it. And if one of your opponent's pieces is in the way, capture it using your rook and stop exactly there. 

Next, the Knights. Using a Knight, you can move 2 squares horizontally or vertically, then 1 square to the right or left of that second square. Knights are the only pieces that can jump over other pieces, and they only capture an opponent's piece if it's on the final square of the move. 

Next, the Bishops. Using a Bishop, you can go as many squares as possible diagonally. Like the rook, a bishop must stop at the square before one of your own pieces, and it captures an opponent's piece and stops there. 

Next, the King. It is the most important piece, as the game ends if it's captured. The king can move 1 square in any direction. You cannot move the king into any space where one of your opponent's pieces could capture it. 

Last, the Queen. The queen can go as many squares as possible in any direction. Like the rooks and bishops, the queen must stop before one of your own pieces, and it must capture an opponent's piece and stop there.” 

Then, it gets harder and harder. Yeah. But I must do this. 

--- 

“Today, I’ll teach you the special moves that can be made by pawns, rooks, and kings.  

Let’s start with the Pawns.  

If your opponent moves a pawn 2 spaces on its first move and it's sitting right next to one of your pawns, on your next move, you can capture it with your pawn —but only on your next move. Okay?  

Also, a pawn gets promoted if it makes it all the way to the back row of the other side of the board.  

That means you can change that pawn to any type of piece other than a king.  

Most players promote a pawn to a queen, of course, since the queen is the most powerful piece. Right? 

Next, Kings and rooks.  

If there are no pieces between your rook and your king on the back row, you can actually move your king 2 spaces toward your rook.  

Then, immediately move the rook over to the other side of your king.  

This special move is called castling.” 

. 

. 

. 

“Are you ready to play?” Gray asked 

“Yeah.” I answered. 

“Okay. The player with the white pieces always makes the first move. You know that, right?” 

“Yeah!” 

“You and I, as your opponent, may flip a coin to see who gets the white pieces.  

The one who got the white pieces has a slight advantage, mainly because with white you get to attack first.” 

I chose the head, and he chose the tail. 

Then, we flip the coin... 

Tadaaa! It’s head. So, I got the white pieces. This time I had a slight advantage. 

 

“So, Chess is just like any other turn-based board game, we have, of course, to take turns to move one piece. Consider the different moves that all the pieces can make when thinking about the move you want to make. Take note that there's no "pass" in chess. When it's your turn, you must move something. 

At some point, as the game progresses, I, your opponent, will likely put your king in check, or perhaps you'll put my king in check. This just means that if nothing changes, I will capture your king on my next move. 

When I announce "check," you must do something to get out of check.  

This time, you have 3 basic options: block, evade, or capture.  

To block, move one of your pieces in between the attacking piece and your king.  

To evade, shuffle your king over one square so I'm out of the attacking piece's line of attack.  

To capture, use another piece to capture the piece I am attacking. With that, the threat will be eliminated. 

Your goal is to checkmate me and protect your king so that I can't checkmate you.  

This may seem simple, but due to the many pieces in play, the strategy and planning can get complex. Since you're just starting out, focus on always protecting your king. 

Sometimes we play to a stalemate, that's the opposite of a checkmate when neither of us has any legal moves left. It usually happens when most of the pieces have been captured. 

And when you're playing in a tournament, there are other ways the game can end, such as if you run out of time. But you don't need to worry about those yet since you’re just a beginner.” 

--- 

Another day, another chess tutorial, another games... 

“Today, let’s focus on the strategies. 

Here... 

You must control the center of the board as quickly as possible. This gives you the upper hand and allows you to make attacks while defending against my attacks. When you have control over the center of the board, you can maximize your ability to move while also limiting your ability to move without being captured. 

Then here... 

Since chess isn't a game that you can play one turn at a time, try to think of a move or two ahead. Consider all the pieces and their possible moves, and make your move based on what might happen a move or two as you go along. 

Of course, you must protect your king. If I put your king in checkmate, that's the end of the game, so protect your king at all costs. In every turn, evaluate your king's position and where it might be vulnerable. As a beginner, it's always better to make a move that protects the king's defenses than to attack. 

Then... Involve all your pieces in the game. While you don't necessarily have to develop your queen too early in the game, your other pieces can come forward to build a strong defense and lay the groundwork for future attacks. Consider leaving space open for your queen to enter later. Then, maximize her power and use her to the fullest of her potential. 

There's nothing wrong with sacrificing pieces from time to time, but avoid unnecessary sacrifices. Since a piece lost can't be regained, and if you get too far down, you'll find it hard defending against a multi-pronged attack from your opponent. 

Then, every time I make a move, ask yourself why I made that move. If you can figure out what I’m trying to do, you might be able to make moves that will disrupt my plans, or if not, at least make them more difficult to pull off.” 

--- 

Here I am... 

In this chapter of my life, I have met plastic coworkers at different levels.  

They seem very friendly to each other but are constantly backstabbing each other. 

Here’s Maya, a petite, simple woman with undeniable beauty and two professional licenses: MBA and CFMS.  

Then, here’s Brenda, an attention-seeker with inappropriate body proportions and an undeniable ugly face, but, for fairness, with an MBA title. 

During my stay in this company, I didn’t hear any bad comments about the work performance and attitude of Maya from our coworkers, with whom she directly worked and is currently working. I also had my own observations of Maya.  

She’s just really working hard and is very quiet.  

I am also having some talks with her about our love life, family, etc.  

She’s just really nice. I can’t say anything else. 

One day, we’re given a new project, and we are composed of ten members. 

While doing this project, there were days that I heard rants about Maya, led by Brenda. 

“I can’t understand Maya sometimes.” 

“She’s like a fool.” 

Bla bla bla - 

Then, my coworkers are not responding to Brenda every time she’s backstabbing Maya. Because there is really nothing wrong with the latter.  

Besides, for the record, they didn’t have a project where they had to work together. So, where are the rants coming from? 

What’s funny is that they are having lunch together. XD 

One day, Brenda was ranting again, but here’s an unbiased, straightforward girl, Natalie. 

“What’s the problem with Maya?” Natalie asked. 

“I can’t understand her sometimes.” Brenda answered. 

“With what?” Natalie asked again. 

Then, Brenda just acted like she’s busy with what she’s doing since she can’t give justification for her rants about Maya. 

A sad thing is that Maya obviously likes Brenda more than Natalie since the latter is not approachable to her. I even saw in the social media stories of Maya some photos of her with Brenda XD  

Like wtf?  

I feel sad for Maya for thinking that she’s with a friend when, in fact, she’s with an insecure, backstabbed, ugly bch. 

WaaAaAaaahhhHHH!!! 

What kind of world do we live in? 

What am I discovering about human nature? 

I feel sad for both Natalie and Maya. 

--- 

[MID OF APRIL 2014] 

Fast forward. 

GRAY: What are you watching? 

ISLA: K-Drama 

GRAY: You’re supposed to be watching chess tutorials. 

ISLA: Later, master. 

- 

GRAY: Ready to play? 

ISLA: Yap. 

GRAY: Who do you think will win?  

ISLA: The Libra 

GRAY: Ha? 

ISLA: I mean... the Pisces, of course. 

GRAY: Good! 

And yeah. Here’s the battle.  

Gray is just so serious.  

I prepared for this, so I am confident that I will win. 

The battle is intense... 

“Check!” 

“Congrats, Master Libra.” 

“More practice, Miss Pisces.” 

“I’m getting curious about the second ordinance.” 

“Hmm. It will definitely take you more time to master chess. Our planned timeline will change, especially if you don’t resign from your job. Hmm. But I can tell you the second ordinance, so you won’t get bored.” 

So, what’s the 2nd ordinance, Master Libra? 

#TheFirstOrdinance 

#IslaTheFutureChessMaster 

[rvinsounds]

— like this in which jess needs a reason to write lots of fluffy things SO ANNUAL SKI TRIP IT IS. WOOHOOOOO. 

a/n: this is such a future fic honestly. takes place in like 2019? 2018?? keep in mind i would’ve graduated in 2012 so ara/chanuk/seungyeon would’ve graduated 2013? so mei and sina are married? probably since april of the year? i made a rough timeline but idk LMAO THIS IS AN AU UNIVERSE LEAVE ME ALONE FAM

bg info on the ski lodge tho. basically it’s the same/similar one from this fic (there’s smut if you wanna read, just a head’s up!), it’s somewhere in the states, a ski lodge for wizards and witches, there’s hot springs that run on a magical fault line, plus a bar, and dining room/dinner area? also the mina section is based off of this AY -- BUT YEAH OKAY ON TO THE FIC 

it’s a tradition now, since the first time they had done it in 2014 and then again the year after, and once again every year since that. it had been a chain of portkeys up to the ski lodge, as they had all, once again, decided against taking an airplane and then a taxi. mostly, it was the purebloods who were still a bit wary about muggle transportation, especially across an ocean. a chain of portkeys was easier to manage and much quicker. 

they arrive in separate groups -- megan and sinhwa and nadine and minseok, the older pairs heading into the lodge first to get all the rooms and keys sorted. 

“everyone is paired up right?” megan asks, turning to nadine who’s distracted by minseok, who’s distracted by the blue bubbles floating out of the deer head on the wall. the older girl, by only four days as she constantly reminds everyone, glances over after realizing that she’s being spoken to. 

“you and sina, me and minseok, jess and saebom, ara and chanuk? seungyeon and daeun ... euncheol and whoever he’s bringing on this trip? did you hear he and his last girlfriend broke up after the last trip?” nadine scrunches up her nose, shaking her head as her gaze falls on her fiance and sinhwa trying to pop the bubbles. “sucks. i liked her.” she counts on her fingers again, before nodding. “five rooms!” 

they pause once they’ve told the witch behind the check in counter, hearing familiar voices and they grin as the rest of the group trickle in. jess is trying to dust snow off of saebom’s jacket whilst simultaneously unwrapping her scarf, chanuk looks extra round with his earmuffs on his head as he rubs arazely’s hands in his own, euncheol is busy brushing snow from out of his girlfriend’s hair and seungyeon rushes over to greet them, waving, his eyes bright. 

“sorry, we almost missed the last portkey because it was buried under snow and we couldn’t find it,” he’s breathless, but he’s still smiling widely. 

megan just smiles, reaching over to ruffle his hair, like old times. since they had all graduated university and had somewhat gotten real jobs, it was harder to find time to spend all together nowadays. so this was a special time for them all, especially during the busy holiday season, it was nice to get away and catch up with old friends. “help me hand out the room keys?” she asks, smiling as she hands half of them to the (younger) former ravenclaw. seungyeon nods, grinning before he heads out to help her do what she had asked of him. 

when all the keys are handed out, megan grins and she glances around at everyone else before clapping her hands together. “okay, let’s meet back up in an hour for dinner? we can unpack and relax for a bit beforehand.” 

there’s a loud “woohoo!” from the back corner, and everyone laughs, dispersing either to the dining room to grab snacks or to the elevator or stairs to head up to their respective rooms -- they had booked out a section on the fifth floor so everyone was close but still had their separate rooms -- let their sixth annual ski trip begin!

-- 

the first thing they had done when they had reached their room was change into clean clothes. the second thing they had done was fall into bed, the lure of the crisp sheets too much for either of them and that was where they were, still, an hour later. though the entire group doesn’t usually eat dinner together the entire trip, they always do for the first night there. 

which is why megan is a bit miffed that nadine and minseok haven’t shown up yet and it’s been almost ten minutes since the time they had set to meet up with everyone. so she does what she does best, and goes to find them. instead of knocking on their door, she literally just apparates into their bedroom -- considering the door is unlocked (probably on accident, probably nadine’s fault) the anti-apparition-into-rooms charm is ineffective and she literally appears with a loud CRACK! at the foot of their bed. 

there’s a muffled yell, nadine covering her face with her arms, minseok glancing up at the sound and he has the decency to look sheepish after checking the time. “nadine, babe, we’re late for dinner,” megan hears him murmur, and she can’t help but grin to herself. 

(she’s so happy for them.) 

but she’s also annoyed at the moment. “guys, the dining room is serving dinner in ten minutes. arazely had to stop chanuk from coming up here to yell at you guys for being late,” she says, her tone all official like the one that she usually uses to read the announcements at her little school, slipping into it automatically though she has to hide a smile, her hand resting gently on her stomach. 

“honestly, you guys can cuddle and do all you want but if you miss dinner, don’t come complaining to me that you’re hungry and have to order room service,” she continues, eyeing her friends and megan can’t help but shake her head after. “make sure you lock the door too, by the way, that’s how i apparated in here without you guys having to allow me to,” she adds after another moment, watching the two former gryffindors lowly sit up, begrudgingly, at the truth behind her words. 

“also nadine, jess wants to go to the bar after and she refuses to go unless you do because she for some reason needs a wing woman -- i think she said that to make saebom jealous, but that’s besides the point. everyone is waiting downstairs, so please hurry.” 

and she smiles, waving and leaving through the door this time, making sure to lock it behind her on the way out. 

--  

they manage to, somehow, get a vip lounge to themselves in the connected club that was a part of the ski lodge as well. 

(they’re pretty sure it has something to do with saebom and minseok being with them.) 

nadine and jess have disappeared for a while now, but no one is too worried -- the two of them tended to disappear to go and dance and flirt with cute boys and return once they were tired and wanted real attention from their real boyfriends. but this time when they returned, they were both grinning almost too happily, cheeks flushed from dancing and from all the alcohol they had taken in. 

it’s obvious how drunk they are when both of them literally drape themselves over their boyfriends, though said boys definitely aren’t complaining. 

“we just got this for free -- let’s do shots!” jess grins, holding up a three-quarter full bottle of what looks like vodka, nadine producing shot glasses out of nowhere and placing them onto the table between everyone. chanuk shakes his head in amusement, looking like he might protest, but he’s the first to start setting out the shot glasses so someone can pour. 

sinhwa, on the other hand, seems to have paled slightly. he’s staring at the bottle in jess’ hand, chewing on his bottom lip, his arm around his wife. megan is laughing, too amused that nadine had completely plopped herself into minseok’s lap and was simultaneously trying to get comfortable while also yelling at chanuk to hurry the fuck up. no one notices the tension until it’s too late, the bottle in jess’ hand shattering with a loud splintering noise and spraying everyone around her with vodka. 

it practically rains vodka, or whatever alcohol it is, on saebom and jess, and nadine and minseok who are next to them, and a startled euncheol. who wasn’t paying attention at all, distracted by his girlfriend. 

there’s a pause as everyone processes what had happened, sinhwa looking as surprised as everyone feels, before -- 

“what the flying fuck --” 

“that was a 40 dollar bottle of quality vodka --” 

“we know you don’t like vodka but the rest of us people would like to enjoy free alcohol, thank you very much.” 

“YAH. KANG SINA. I WILL FUCKING END YOU --” 

“merlin, stop fighting everyone,” saebom interjects, tugging his girlfriend towards him with an arm around her waist and she flails against his hold before ultimately giving up, huffing to herself as she also settles herself down in his lap. though, that doesn’t do much and she glances up and eyes the male. 

“i will still fucking end you,” she says seriously, almost seriously enough that it’s almost believable that she might not be as drunk as she seemed a few moments ago. “but not until the baby is born.” 

the silence in the room is deafening -- ignoring the pounding music outside of the room -- everyone between jess and sinhwa as the male splutters in his surprise before megan slaps him on the shoulder. “i told you you were being too obvious!” 

the gasp from jess is audible, before she grins and nadine immediately reaches up to high five her. they miss the first one, but the resounding smack of their connecting palms is as satisfying as it is painful. 

“i fucking told you!” 

“i can’t believe we were right!” 

“i can’t believe you didn’t tell us --” 

at that last outburst, both megan and sinhwa look sheepish. they exchange a glance before megan shakes her head slightly, her hand going to rest on her stomach, just a further confirmation of what had just been revealed. “we were planning to tell you guys on this trip, honestly, but we all sort of got caught up in everything.”

with the combined glares of half the people in the room, sinhwa apologizes profusely, though he keeps a protective hand around megan’s shoulders the entire time and a bright, proud smile on his face. everyone is quiet for a moment, the only sound the pounding music outside of their private room, until saebom quietly flicks his wand to clean up the mess and dry everyone off. 

nadine just sighs, fond, glancing at the row of empty shot glasses on the table, forlornly.

“you’re getting us a new bottle of vodka.” 

--

the ski lodge is well-known for their hot springs, considering these ones are apparently on a magical fault line and have some restorative powers or whatever, and that’s where everyone heads once dinner is finished. it doesn’t take long for everyone to change into their swimwear and trudge down to the large glass doors that lead out to the hot springs, deciding to spend it all together since it’s the last night.

the heat from the hot springs combat nicely with the crisp winter air, and it doesn’t even feel that old to be stepping outside in nothing but their swimsuits. 

though, it’s still a relief to slide into the hot water, everyone sidled up to their respective significant others as they take in the hot water and cool night air. “beer?” minseok asks, having brought a charmed cooler along and there’s a cheer that goes up as he starts passing chilled bottles out. 

“cheers to our annual ski trip!” jess calls out in the middle of a heated conversation about brooms -- interrupting minseok and saebom as they debate with seungyeon over which was the best out of the newer models -- stealing saebom’s bottle from him to toast it, raising the half finished bottle into the air. there’s a loud chorus of everyone toasting each other, clinking bottles together. 

seungyeon toasts the newest model of starsweeper with a sideway glance at saebom and minseok, both of whom just laugh and shake their heads in amusement, never willing to fight with their maknae despite being the professional quidditch players of the group. 

chanuk toasts arazely’s heart, thanking her quietly for everything she’s given him in his life, grinning as he ends it with a loud “WOOHOO!” which brings laughter to the group, as all the boys try to out-cheese each other, resulting in jess trying to dunk saebom underwater when he says something, in her words, “utterly disgusting.” 

arazely toasts their friendship, giving a short yet heartwarming speech on why everyone was a blessing in their group and reducing half of them to tears. nadine subtly wipes her eyes before she stands, holding out her beer to megan, who’s holding a soda. 

“cheers to your future son or daughter meg,” she grins, tilting the bottle slightly before lifting it into the air, and they all cheer again before attempting to chug the whole thing (and failing). “may the next ski trip be a family one!” 

they laugh, everyone all too amused at her failed attempt at chugging, once again, as they relax under the stars. 

megan glances around at her friends, feeling very, very content with how things have worked out for everyone. she eyes the rest of the couples, glad that everyone had paired up rather successfully even though most of them hadn’t tied the knot yet. it was only a matter of time, she was sure. 

“wanna bet nadine and minseok get married next?” 

“you wish.”