A young girl called Laurie Stuart was performing in her room in a small house in New York City.
Her shimmering brown hair was lit by the light in the room, she used a brush as an improvised microphone and sang like a real Japanese idol.
Around her, there were posters of different anime, such as card captor Sakura, oshi no ko and especially my hero academia. Posters and the stuffed animals of Ochaco uraraka, one of the main characters of the series, were hung all over the room.
Laurie sang "pop In 2", a music video sung by the B-komachi group from the anime oshi no ko.
She was so in her musical bubble that she didn't hear the door open.
A tall dark-haired man who looked like her looked at her with an amused smile, he readjusted his glasses and turned off the music. She turned round in amazement.
"Tony!" she cried reproachfully.
Tony Stuart laughed at his little sister's angry pout that made her look cuter than she already was.
"Come on, dinner is ready!" he smiled happily as he left the room.
Laurie sighed, half amused, half angry before leaving.
She noticed her mother serving the meal and her father already at the table. She kissed him on the cheek and ruffled Tony's hair in revenge. He glared at her.
"I shouldn't have called you, you would have cried out for food and it would be good for you!" he growled.
She stuck her tongue out at him with a smirk, and Mr. Scott Stuart looked at them with an exasperated smile.
The mother of the family, Michelle Stuart, sat down after serving a good portion of fried potatoes and green salad.
The dinner took place in joy and good humor as they discussed everything and nothing.
"So Laurie, are you ready to watch the last episode of my hero academia tomorrow?" asked Tony with a smirk.
"Of course! I can't wait! Maybe see the conclusion of my favorite ship: izuocha!" said Laurie with a blissful smile.
"Great..." Tony smiled softly.
Tony was not a big fan of manga, he was a fan of superhero comics, mainly DC and Marvel.
Laurie loved manga, especially magical girls, idols and my hero academia, her favorite manga.
She bought everything about MHA and loved all the characters, even minoru mineta....
But the character she revered, who gave her the strength to move forward and who inspired her, was obviously Ochaco Uraraka alias uravity, the heroine of gravity.
Ochaco was a symbol of kindness and determination that not only lightened people and people but lightened their pain to make them happy. She was not powerful like deku or todoroki nor explosive like bakugo, she was often criticized in fandoms for being a useless female character, but for Laurie, ochaco was the best character and her role model in everyday life.
So, after dark, she went to bed after watching the sequel to her second favorite anime: oshi no ko.
The brown-haired teenager hugged her uravity plush toy with a soft smile on her lips.
Tomorrow was going to be a good day...
...........
The next day at 9:00 a.m., the school was teeming with students coming and going in the hallways, opening their lockers and chatting happily.
"Hi Vicky!" Laurie smiled as she raised her fist in front of a dark-haired girl who watched her without saying anything.
"Hi Laurie...." Vicky said in a slightly different voice than usual, she seemed colder, more preoccupied...
"Vicky... Are you in trouble? You're not so cold to me, we can talk about it!" cried Ochaco with a tender smile, filled with light.
Vicky looked away before walking away.
"It's none of your business... Thank you for your attention but it's not worth it, I'm just in a bad mood" she said in a tone that was meant to be detached but slightly trembling.
Laurie watched Vicky Miller walk away to the classroom and was convinced that her best friend was in serious trouble.
All day Vicky avoided her, avoided everyone in fact and seemed worried. Laurie noticed that she clutched her backpack very often as if to make sure that what was inside didn't disappear.
Vicky also seemed to be in a hurry, as if she was in a hurry to leave and was losing concentration in class.
This worried Laurie too much who wondered what her friend's problem was.
It was with this question that she followed her best friend discreetly after class, it was 3:00 p.m....
She saw her friend in a dark alley, surrounded by three extremely dangerous-looking men, tattooed and muscular.
Her blood ran cold in his veins... Her best friend with such dangerous guys?! What for!?
"I brought you some of the money, I'll pay the rest later, leave my father alone... I beg you!" cried Vicky, with tears in her eyes.
"The poor kid! You're really bad luck having a drugged father!" one of them sneered wickedly.
"Please... I'll pay the rest in a few months, please...." She moaned as the others looked at each other with cynical smiles.
Laurie looked on with tears in her eyes at her friend's distress, but her eyes widened in shock when one of the robbers roughly grabbed her friend's arm.
"You can pay us very well otherwise..." said one of the men with a disgusting smile.
Vicky tried to run away screaming but the three men held her back and threw her to the ground, holding knives.
"If you gesticulate, we won't be nice, little bitch!" shouted one of them, brandishing the knife.
"Stop!!" The brown-haired girl screamed as she threw her backpack to one of the men.
"Laurie?! " Vicky screamed in horror and amazement.
The men, furious, looked at Vicky with hatred.
"Let's run away!" cried Laurie as she took Vicky's hand but one of the men grabbed her violently.
"You're going to pay for this!" the man cried with a psychotic smile.
Laurie struggled violently, hitting and scratching when she felt a stab wound in her stomach...
She felt her organs pierced, then the impact of a second stab wound, then a third and a fourth.....
She collapsed to the ground, blood flooded the asphalt and she felt her body burning from the inside as an unhealthy coldness took her from the outside.
"LAURIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Vicky screamed as she rushed towards her with tears in her eyes, the police sirens sounded and the three criminals fled sneering.
Vicky was crying, moaning heartbreaking "Laurie, stay with me".
"I.... I don't want to die.... Tony, mom, dad.... Help me, I don't want to die! Laurie cried inwardly, closing her eyes.
And there... She saw extremely dim light....
To be continued....