Sonaze: Beauty and the Beast 2 by Artistic-Alice, literature
Literature
Sonaze: Beauty and the Beast 2
Sonic wrinkled his nose at the extreme heat on his face. His whole backside was dripping wet. He opened his eyes. He was staring directly at the sun. He yelped and looked away. Then he sat up, confused. "I fell asleep?" he asked, looking around. His left cheek had an agonizing stinging sensation. His back felt like it had been sunburnt badly. He looked at his reflection in the creek. He was back to his hedgehog self, of course, but he had deep claw marks on his cheek from where the bear had attacked him. They were scabbed, and looked infected with white pus. Sonic wrinkled his nose disgustedly. This made his cheek hurt. Not to mention he h...
Magical Mayhem (Chapter 33) by jebens1, literature
Literature
Magical Mayhem (Chapter 33)
Chapter 33 The Guardian Angels In an unknown location, four figures had gathered together in a dark room under a beam of light. All were dressed in black. One was the mysterious cyclists who had helped out the Turtles and Rainbooms with the Party Wagon. Another wore a cap, sunglasses, and a scarf around his face with an x insignia on it. The third also wore a cap, glasses and a scarf, but she also wore a black tank top, black jeans, and black boots. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. The forth wore a black hoodie with the hood up, black jeans, and black sneakers. She also wore a purple dragon mask over her whole face. Then a...
The sun rises and enters through the window of a messy room, hitting the face of a black-haired girl who covers herself with her sheets. There are many papers scattered around the bed—recommendation letters, resumes—a clear view of a desperate unemployed person.
"Ugh," muttered the girl, pulling her arm out from between the sheets to search for something on the floor, picking up a half-eaten burger.
"Sister!" said another girl's voice from the room's doorway. "I know you're depressed, but don't eat food off the floor." There stood a girl with long, voluminous hair and blue eyes.
"Leave me alone," replied the girl from under the sheets, while eating the burger.
"Jazmin!" shouted the girl at the door, approaching and snatching the sheet.
The girl on the bed curled up to hide, never letting go of the burger. "Alejandra, please..." Jasmine stared intently at her sister with the same clear blue eyes.
Jazmin had been searching for a job for several months without success. She lived alone with her sister; their parents had left due to a tragedy, and she relied on her to take care of her younger sister. She had been fired after enduring a suffocating job for over two years, and they had been surviving on the severance pay, but that money was running out.
"You won't find anything there," said Alejandra, handing her sister a piece of paper.
"What is this?" asked Jazmin.
"This paper says they're looking for dedicated and responsible girls. I thought maybe you'd want to see it," said Alejandra.
It was a strange pamphlet, with an unprofessional design and no phone number, only an address: "Twilight Street #246 in the city center, safe neighborhood."
"Was it necessary to include 'safe neighborhood'?" said Jazmin, looking suspicious.
"You could give it a try," said Alejandra. "I'm not sure, little sister. Maybe I don't have the profile," Jazmin said, covering herself again with the sheet.
"Sister, please," said Alejandra. "I believe in you."
Jazmin peeked her face out from the sheets and looked at her sister with a disdainful expression. "You know I can't say no to you, and you keep using that phrase against me."
Alejandra smiled foolishly. "Alright, alright, I'll give it a try," said Jazmin, standing up.
She searched through the pile of clothes scattered around the room, sniffing them to see if they were clean. She ended up grabbing a blazer and a black skirt, dark stockings, and a white blouse. She gathered her documents and headed to the address on the pamphlet.
Jazmin hopped on a bus and stood the entire way, looking wearily at the urban landscape.
"I really hate working," she thought, shifting her gaze to her resume. She had nearly three years of work experience, during which she felt constantly pressured and suffocated. "I wish I didn't have to work at all," she murmured after the bus abruptly stopped at a station, causing her to jolt.
However, her thoughts were overshadowed by the image of her younger sister. It had been five years since she took charge of Alejandra, her little sister who was now 18 years old. She had always been her strength to keep fighting.
Jazmin got off at the stop and walked half a block further to find the address—a single-story building that looked more like a warehouse. Above the door, in raised silver letters, the name "Horow" was displayed.
"Good afternoon," Jazmin said upon entering. The reception area was small and bare, except for the desk where the secretary sat and a solitary chair next to the entrance.
The greeting wasn't returned, so Jasmine decided to wait and sat in the chair.
The girl behind the desk was very pretty, appeared to be the same age as Jasmine, with long black hair tied up in a bun, and dressed entirely in black. But what caught Jazmin's attention the most was her gaze—her eyes were large and empty, as if devoid of life, and emitted a strange purple glow. The girl typed mechanically, forcefully pressing each key.
"Did you come for the job proposal?" the secretary commented with a soft but monotone voice.
Jazmin became nervous; perhaps she should have approached and asked properly before sitting and waiting. She stood up and walked unsteadily to where the secretary was, extending her hand and smiling.
"Hello, good afternoon. My name is Jazmin Carmine, pleased to meet you."
The secretary looked at Jazmin's hand with her empty eyes, then returned her gaze to the girl's blue eyes. "Are you here for the job proposal?" she repeated with her emotionless voice.
"Yes," said Jazmin, feeling embarrassed and retracting her hand.
"Mr. Blackwood will see you in Room 3. Please proceed," the secretary continued with her work, typing as if there were no tomorrow.
Jazmin walked along a corridor beside the desk and found Room 3. Upon opening the door, she found another tiny room with a table and two chairs. A man, possibly in his thirties, wearing a black suit, a beard, and glasses, sat in one of the chairs.
"Good afternoon. You're here for the job, I assume," said Mr. Blackwood. "My name is Raúl Blackwood, and I'm the director of Horow. Please have a seat."
Jazmin sat down and handed him her documents.
Blackwood took her resume and skimmed through it. "Jazmin Carmine, 25 years old, I see," he said, then he tore everything he held in his hands. "We won't need this."
Jazmin looked at the document she had spent a long time compiling, feeling somewhat annoyed, but decided to proceed anyway.
"I need you to tell me your true essence. That's what I want," Blackwood said.
"Well, I'm a specialist in..." Jazmin was interrupted once again.
"No, no, I don't want to know what you're good at. I want your essence. What makes Jazmin, Jazmin?"
Jazmin felt confused.
"Let's see," said Blackwood. "How about you tell me what you enjoy doing the most?"
"Well, that's easy," laughed Jazmin. "I love sleeping."
"Excellent. That's who you really are," said Blackwood. "What else?"
"I love spaghetti with meatballs, and I also love my sister Alejandra."
"What about your decision-making ability?" Blackwood interrupted.
"I'm not very good at making choices. I prefer someone to tell me what to do," Jazmin replied, noticing a smile forming on Blackwood's face.
"That's excellent," added Blackwood. "If things work out with us, you'll never have to make a decision again in your life."
Jazmin looked at Blackwood, confused. "What does that mean?"
Blackwood looked into Jazmin's eyes. "Are you willing to immerse yourself in the unknown and let yourself be carried to places you never thought you could reach?"
Still confused, Jazmin decided to nod and answer, "Yes."
Blackwood stood up and extended his hand. "Then welcome aboard, Jazmin Carmine."