Forks High hadn't changed.
That was the unsettling part.
Jessica Stanley's body moved through the halls like it always had—turning corners on instinct, avoiding loose floor tiles, drifting into conversations she'd technically been having for years. But Sera White watched it all from behind her eyes, cataloguing the familiarity like a tourist with a stolen map.
I've lived this life, she thought. But I remember learning it secondhand.
Lauren Mallory was mid-rant by the lockers. Angela Weber stood beside her, patient as ever, nodding at the right intervals.
"Jess," Lauren said, brightening. "You look weirdly awake today."
Jessica smiled automatically. Canon-consistent response engaged.
"Miracle, I know."
Inside, Sera ticked a box.
Lauren Mallory: social anchor. Loud. Loyal when not bored.
Angela Weber: pattern-recognizer. Kind. Potential liability.
She activated Trustworthy Glow (Infinity Nikki – 1,200 SC) anyway. Not because she needed it—but because testing systems inside canon social structures paid better later.
Angela's shoulders relaxed a fraction.
"Did you sleep?" Angela asked.
"No," Jessica said honestly. "But I upgraded."
Lauren blinked. "What?"
"Nothing."
High school was still high school. That part hadn't been exaggerated by fiction. The boredom was real. The repetition was worse when you knew the script.
By lunch, Sera was counting down.
'Bella Swan arrives today,' she thought, stabbing a french fry. 'Cafeteria scene. Blood typing in Bio later. Edward spirals. Canon fork potential: medium.'
And then Bella walked in.
New. Uncomfortable. Exactly as advertised.
Jessica didn't stare. Canon Jessica would stare. Instead, Sera watched from the corner of her vision, noting posture, scent, social friction.
That's the girl who destabilizes the food chain.
Edward Cullen followed moments later.
And there it was.
The pressure shift.
Not visible. Not audible. But Sera felt it like static under her skin. Her system spiked softly.
[Non-human entity detected. Threat: conditional. Value: astronomical.]
Edward's eyes snapped to Bella like a switch had been thrown.
Jessica leaned back, pretending disinterest while mentally annotating:
'Hunger spike. Control strained. Jasper compensating.'
Angela leaned closer. "Do you feel that?"
Sera stilled.
'Oh. That's new.'
Jessica shrugged lightly, activating Playful Charm Aura (Infinity Nikki) to smooth the moment. "Probably the weather."
Angela accepted it—but her gaze lingered.
'Watch her,' Sera noted. 'She's not canon-blind.'
[MISSION #3: SCOUT KEY SOCIAL CONNECTIONS
Map high-value social nodes.
REWARD: 500 SC]
Checkmarks began filling themselves in.
Lauren. Angela. Bella Swan. Edward Cullen.
'And me,' Sera added silently. 'Because I'm the variable now.'
Between classes, she ducked into the bathroom and locked herself into a stall.
"Okay," she whispered. "Let's see how much I can break before the universe notices."
She activated Sims 4 CAS Control (Sims 4 – unlocked).
Her reflection shifted—enough to erase "Jessica Stanley" from first glance. A face that existed nowhere in canon, nowhere in Forks memory.
She saved the preset.
[MISSION #4: FIRST DISGUISE OPERATION – COMPLETE
REWARD: +1 Disguise Slot]
Two faces now.
Jessica Stanley: canon role.
Unknown: problem solver.
After school, she sat with Lauren and Angela like nothing had changed, laughing at jokes she remembered being told before they happened. It was disorienting in a way the truck hadn't been.
This life came with memories that weren't hers.
And a future she knew too well.
---
That night, she reviewed her inventory and spent 800 SC on a DIY Toolkit (Animal Crossing)—preparing for the kind of problems Forks didn't have words for yet.
From her bedroom window, she watched the treeline.
'Cullens hunt tonight,' she thought. 'Edward will spiral. Jasper will compensate. Carlisle will pretend this is normal.'
Her system chimed softly.
[MISSION #3: 100% COMPLETE
REWARD: 500 SC]
Jessica Stanley rolled onto her bed and smiled.
Sera White stretched inside her skin.
"Okay," she murmured. "Now we play ahead of the script."