1st Quest
Back at the apartment, Samantha stood in front of Sophia and Emma's unit. "Hufff," she took a deep breath. Then, "knock, knock, knock," she tapped on the door. "Click," Sophia opened it a crack and peeked out. The moment she saw Samantha smiling there, she closed the door to unlatch the chain, then opened it wide.
"Um... hello," Samantha said, waving and smiling.
"Thud!" Without a word, Sophia immediately pulled Samantha into a hug. Samantha was a bit surprised but raised her arms to hug Sophia back, patting her on the back as Sophia cried tears of relief. Samantha looked into the apartment and saw Emma standing behind the door, sobbing. Samantha waved, calling Emma over, and Emma rushed forward to join the hug.
Once they'd both calmed down, Sophia invited Samantha into her apartment. They sat on the living room sofa. Sophia went to the kitchen for drinks for Samantha, while Emma proudly showed Samantha her drawing book. Samantha smiled, looking at Emma's picture of three people: Sophia, Emma, and Samuel. Emma explained everything to Samantha.
"She showed me this picture a year ago. She said she drew it when she was in third grade, so when she was about nine," Samantha thought, even though she'd heard Emma's explanation before.
Sophia returned with a tray holding three glasses of soda. After putting the tray on the table, Sophia sat across from Samantha, and Emma sat beside her.
"I'm so sorry, Samantha. Because of my mistake, Samuel isn't with us anymore. I'm so sorry," Sophia said, tears in her eyes.
"It's okay, Sophia. What happened to Samuel wasn't your fault. He made his own decision, and because he made the right one, Emma is safe and still with us now," Samantha said, holding Sophia's hand.
"If only I could afford to buy a house, something like this wouldn't have happened," Sophia sighed.
"Excuse me, Sophia, can I ask you something?" Samantha inquired.
"Of course, Samantha," Sophia replied, wiping her tears.
"What do you do for work?" Samantha asked.
"I'm a graphic designer. I work on a project basis, and that day, I'd just started a meeting with a client on Zoom," Sophia answered.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I just wanted to help you get our clothes from outside, but I slipped because it was wet," Emma said, full of regret.
"It's okay, Emma, it's not your fault," Sophia replied, opening her arms for a hug.
Emma ran into Sophia's embrace. Samantha, silent, watched the mother and daughter's closeness, feeling even angrier at her father for trying to separate them. She started thinking about what she could do for them. Then she remembered Sophia's words and a brilliant idea hit her.
"Sophia, do you rent this apartment?" Samantha asked.
"Um... yes, I rent it. Why?" Sophia asked.
"Hmm... well, here's the thing, I'm planning to buy a house in this city. How about you and Emma come live with me? I need a housemate too," Samantha suggested.
Sophia's face immediately showed surprise. She looked at Samantha, who seemed serious despite her smile, then Sophia smiled and shook her head.
"We're fine. You don't need to go to any trouble, Samantha," Sophia said.
"Hmm, I get it... but I often heard stories about you and Emma from Samuel, who lived next door. Samuel considered you and Emma his family, and as his twin sister, I also consider you and Emma my family. How about you use Samuel's apartment for now, so you don't have to pay monthly rent and can save up to buy a house?" Samantha proposed.
"Oh... c-can we?" Sophia asked, truly shocked.
"No problem. My original intention for coming here was to arrange the sale of Samuel's unit, but I'd be happier if you used it. Don't worry, you don't need to pay rent. Just cover the utilities each month," Samantha replied.
Sophia turned to Emma, who was sitting on her lap and looking at her.
"What do you think, Emma?" Sophia asked.
"Yes!" Emma replied, short, sweet, and very clear.
"Alright, go ahead and use it then. You have the keys, right? If I'm not mistaken, Samuel gave you a spare set," Samantha said.
"Oh, he told you that?" Sophia asked, surprised.
"Yes, he told me everything," Samantha replied.
"Alright, thank you, Samantha," Sophia said.
"And tomorrow, I'll call a railing installer to put up railings on the balcony so what happened yesterday won't happen again," Samantha added.
"B-but what about the cost?" Sophia asked.
"Don't worry about it. As the unit owner, I'll cover the expenses," Samantha replied.
"Oh... I'm causing you so much trouble, Samantha," Sophia said.
"It's okay. Anyway, just call me Sam, like Samuel," Samantha said.
"Alright, Sam," Sophia replied with a smile.
"Hehe, Big Sister Sam, same as Big Sister Sam!" Emma cheered.
"Haha, right? We're twins, after all," Samantha said.
"Bwoooom!" Suddenly, a holographic screen appeared in front of Samantha's face, making her jump a little. She read its contents:
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Quest #1. Go to the convenience store across from the apartment complex and help a teenager there.
Time limit: 15 minutes [Countdown.]
Reward:
Money: $500,000
Elixir x 1.
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Suddenly, Samantha stood up. Sophia and Emma looked at her, standing in front of them.
"Sorry, I have to go for a bit. I'll be back later," Samantha said.
"Okay, Emma will wait," Emma said.
"Alright, we'll wait here," Sophia replied.
After saying goodbye, Samantha left the unit. As the door closed, she immediately ran for the elevator. Of course, she knew where the convenience store was because as Samuel, she often went there since it was usually quiet. Once she got off the elevator, Samantha ran out of the lobby and down the road towards the gate. After exiting the gate, she turned right and then turned again at an alley on the right. Finally, she arrived at a secluded street that few people used.
As soon as she saw a big motorcycle in front of the store, Samantha felt something was off inside the convenience store. Slowly, she saw a teenage boy being held by two large men with guns. It looked like the teenager was being held hostage by one guy while his friend was demanding money from the cashier. Samantha crept toward the door.
Then she opened it. "Chklung," the bell above the door chimed. Instantly, both armed men turned towards the door, as did the store clerk and the hostage.
"Hey, who told you to come in here? Didn't you read the sign or can't you read? Store's closed," one of the men growled.
"Okay, okay, sorry. But if you're gonna take someone hostage, you'd better take me instead of him," Samantha said, pointing at the teenager.
Seeing the pretty and sexy Samantha, the two men started to get tempted. They looked at each other, discussing. Samantha seized the opportunity. She immediately charged forward, kicking the man not holding the teenager, right in the stomach. "Ooof," the man was pushed back until, "Buaaak," he slammed into a shelf in the convenience store. Seeing his partner get knocked back, the man holding the teenager hostage aimed his pistol at the teenager, but it was too late. Samantha's foot was already right in front of his face.
"Buaaaaak!" He immediately flew backward, and the teenager was released. Then Samantha grabbed the teenager's hand and threw him out through the door behind her. Samantha watched the teenager leave, but suddenly,
"Watch out!"
Samantha turned to see the man who had previously hit the shelf. "Blam!" He fired his pistol at Samantha. "Crack!" Samantha was hit directly in the forehead, whether by chance or because the man had been aiming for her. "Bruaaak!" Samantha's body immediately fell backward without a word, her forehead gaping and bleeding profusely. "Weee-ooo... weee-ooo!" Police sirens sounded. The man who shot Samantha immediately got up and helped his friend to their feet. Then, both limped out of the convenience store.
The nerdy, bespectacled cashier immediately grabbed his smartphone to call an ambulance, but suddenly, "Wuuuuk" Samantha's body sat upright. "Pluk!" The bullet lodged in her forehead fell to the floor. Samantha slowly opened her eyes and, "Gedubrak!" she turned, hearing a sound behind the counter. Samantha stood up, walked to the cashier, and poked her still bloody face behind the counter.
"Huh, he fainted. Why?" Samantha thought, seeing the cashier passed out on his back behind the counter, still holding his smartphone.
Seeing the drops of blood on the counter, Samantha touched her forehead, which was still wet with blood. She immideately remembered being shot, and her face instantly went pale.
"OMG... I died again!" Samantha yelled.
[Glad to be of assistance.]
"Stupid system, damn it, asshole, fu**!" Samantha cursed.