Welcome back to Lost in Tumultuous Despair! I’m almost done with this chapter! That must have been quite an effort! Anyway, to start this off, the seventh part of each chapter will be narrated by Jill Smith.

Enjoy, my readers!

“So, what’s the problem, ma’am?” I asked a woman looking frustrated today. Maybe it was the fiasco of a road trip that irritated her in the inside. I really pity her, especially since she reminds me of my three uncles in terms of mannerisms and speech. After all, think of all that research they’ve done in their labs on aliens like dad. They’ve taken a heavy toll on their health. And worse, how am I supposed to oversee the construction progress on the laboratory that’s supposed to research better ways to treat severe diseases?

“It’s nothing, my dear,” she replied as she flinched. “It’s just that I always feel so edgy even before I hopped into that blasted bus. Getting used in this state isn’t working wonders for me at all.”

“What do you mean by that? Does this mean your world’s gone upside down?”

“Umm… Sort of like that, I suppose.”

I quickly thought of something that could cheer her up. Obviously, it’s not a solution per se, but I hope that would cheer her up for the time being. “Well, maybe you should try getting some lip gloss for your lips if you want to look younger than normal. I mean, look at how dull they look! Putting on some lip gloss can make them shiny and beautiful.”

“Why, thank you!” she muttered as she hugged me. “I should get some of those if we ever get out of this place alive.”

“You’re welcome. After all, it’s a pleasure to help you out.”

I followed Coral into the house and spotted her about to cover her ears from the loud giant sphere next to her, even though I was assuming the piano behind me was also another reason why she was covering her ears. Kind of odd, since pianos are supposed to be soothing, but I guess whoever was playing it was still a beginner. I think I should give that thing a try if I ever have the time.

Man, I felt so tired from all that standing up just now, but I was lucky enough to find this sofa on the living room. Perhaps I should watch that guy playing the piano from here.

My inner calm from all that hustle and bustle was swiftly interrupted by Coral groaning for a while. The noise from the sphere and piano are definitely annoying, aren’t they?

“Jill,” she asked as she struggled her way through all that noise, “Would you mind if I sit next to you?”

“Of course,” I answered. “In fact, you’re more than welcome to. After all, I need some company over here.”

As she sat down next to me, she immediately began a conversation with me.

“Jill, my dear,” she said, “Would you love to explain why you went on this doomed road trip?”

“Why would you ask such a question, Coral?” I shrugged. “You didn’t even told me about your motives.”

“Because I just want other people to know their motives first before I show them mine. Call me demanding if you want to, but I won’t change that manner at all.”

“Well, I went to this road trip because I was overseeing the construction progress on a lab…”

“You know what, Jill?” Coral suddenly spoke up enthusiastically before I could finish my sentence. “I would love the opportunity to play the piano once more. I hope my skills haven’t deteriorated significantly.”

Huh? How strange. Ever since when did she start taking an interest on the piano? That made me wonder. “Well, everyone has to start at the bottom, you know,” I replied. “That includes those who haven’t played for a long time. Also, pianos can break down at any time, so we need to repair it if those things ever happen.”

Unfortunately, the sound of the piano had become too unbearable for me to listen that I ended up covering my ears. Oh, the humanity! Is there something wrong with the piano or what? I mean, Coral seems to want to play it someday, so maybe it’s because of the piano itself. Should I try telling her? I would love to, but in the midst of all this sound, I couldn’t help myself but cover my ears in vain.

When that awful music finally stopped, some guy in a blue suit approached me. I wonder what he was going to do next.

“Hi,” he said. “My name’s Benedick Monty and I’m from Veronaville. What’s your name and where do you come from.”

“Well,” I was relieved that he just wanted to talk to me, “I’m Jill Smith and I’m from Strangetown. By the way, you haven’t asked me the reason you went on this road trip. I went on it because I was meant to oversee the construction of a hospital.”

“Well, I went on this road trip because I wanted to explore SimNation. It’s a pretty exciting place to do. After all, it’s quite nice to know more about this place.”

“Heh, I see what you mean,” I chuckled. “Exploring around is definitely an awesome thing to do, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. And you know what?”

“What?”

“Have you ever tried that dance sphere across the living room? It’s fun if you try it, but be careful with it, though. It can throw you out if it gets too fast.”

“Oh, I see what you mean.”

Thinking of what went wrong with the piano made me think for a moment. Maybe there’s something wrong with this house, and not just the piano itself. I think telling this to Benedick is a good idea, or so to speak.

“You know,” I cringed, “I’m starting to think there’s something weird going on in this place. The piano music is fine to me to some extent, but there are times when I can’t stand it at all. Is it because there’s something wrong in this house?”

“Easy there,” he replied. “There’s nothing wrong with this house. All you’re talking about is part of your anxieties, which should go away in any second.”

Listening to Benedick’s words gave me a bit more courage than normal. “A…are you sure about this?” I asked as I stuttered. Normally, I don’t stutter, but in the case of fear, I can. “Please say that you are.”

“Of course I’m sure!” he exclaimed. “Like I said, there’s nothing to worry about in this place. Everything’s fine in here, and I’m sure you’ll know that.”

However, I still felt that there’s something wrong with this house, and I wish I could get into the bottom of this.

Just as we were about to continue our conversation again, the sound of the piano struck again. Man, when will these people ever stop playing the piano? Don’t they know that it’s bewitched or whatever?

I couldn’t take it anymore! I would love to have some peace and quiet in the midst of all that horrible music! So I looked around and found a door. After opening it, I found a room with some fiery walls and angst-themed posters. Seems like this place is for teens only, but a couple of the decorations were probably out of place. I mean, who on earth would want to put a classy painting and a drawing by a little kid in the same room with posters for teens? Maybe those out-of-place decorations will serve as proof that there’s something wrong with this place.

What later intrigued me was another door in the room. After entering it, I found out that it was a restroom. Soon afterwards, I was surprised to see Benedick coming in here from another door. That was strange. Anyway, I better get out of the restroom and back into the living room.

So the music hadn’t died down, but what amused me was seeing Coral covering her ears at the sound of the piano. Seems like she can get really frustrated at the sound of it, I suppose.

I later turned around and found myself surprised to see a familiar face in the middle of this trip. Can’t you believe it? It’s my old friend Buck! I wasn’t expecting him to be here with me and other people here.

“Buck!” I shouted enthusiastically as I raised my arms in excitement. “It’s so nice to see you again! And in here, no less!”

“Wow!” he exclaimed back. “I also never would’ve thought that I’d be seeing you here as well!”

As I started to speak up, I suddenly thought of what I said to Benedick just now. Maybe I should also tell him about that as well.

“You know what,” I cringed, “I f…feel like there’s something wrong with this house. Maybe we should investigate around. I don’t know, but we should at least do something about it, right? First, the piano music seemed to sound dreadful even if it was meant to sound beautiful, and then there’s this room with a couple of out-of-place decorations. Does that sound weird to you?”

“Easy there!” he beamed, “I doubt there’s nothing wrong with this house. I’m assuming you’re being paranoid or anxious to get out of this place. I mean, I’ll assure you that we’ll get out of this place in no time. And don’t you worry about that. Just keep your spirits up, and you’ll do fine.”

Those words sounded really encouraging to me. I was impressed at how he handled my worries and casts them aside.

“Oh, Buck,” I cried, “You really have a good way of making me less worrisome, and I highly appreciate that a lot. Now, why do you come here in the first place?”

He stopped for a moment. I think what I asked made him thoughtful of that question. Perhaps he was trying to find a way to answer it in the clearest way possible.

At long last, however, he finally spoke up. “Well, let’s just say that I went on the road trip because I wanted to escape a life of frugality back at home. Now, how about you?”

Escaping a life of frugality? Now that makes some sense, considering the suit he’s wearing. Anyway, back to my answer. “I came to this trip because I was meant to oversee the construction of a new laboratory that’s supposed to research better ways to treat severe diseases. However, now that I’m stuck here, I can’t get there at all.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound like good news at all. Anyway, nice talking to you, and I hope we interact much in here.”

Well, seeing Buck again comforted me in the inside, but I guess there must always be a time when I need to take a break. In fact, once I heard someone yelling that it was lunch time, I quickly rushed into the kitchen, where I spotted a sandwich on a large plate. I guess that was the last sandwich, so I immediately grabbed it and eat it as fast as possible. Man, I felt famished! Thank goodness someone prepared lunch meat sandwiches already. Perhaps it was the guy who called out to us that it was lunch time that prepared it for us.

That sandwich wasn’t the tastiest thing in the world, but it was still satisfying and definitely worth the use. Now that I felt full, it was time to clean up these dirty dishes so that they could be used again.

It was the sound of that stupid piano again! Who on earth dared do such an idiotic move like that? I felt so much rage in me that I want to punch that piano into dust in order to solve part of the problem.

I went over to Benedick and the lady in lilac. Apparently, they were both covering their ears from the sound of the piano. I guess it was time to tell them that there was indeed something very wrong with this house.

“Do you guys believe me now?” I shouted as loudly as I could so that they could hear what I was saying. Unfortunately, all they did was to cover their ears. Maybe they were covering their ears so tightly that they couldn’t hear me as well.

After those two people left the sofa, I quickly lounged on it and let my thoughts wander around my brain. Was I really right about this house in the first place? I mean, I could sense it deep down inside, but I didn’t know how to find the right proof to prove my point. If I was right all along, then that means that people were more likely to believe me.

When the sky eventually grew dark, it was time for me to take a refreshing bath. Unfortunately, I found myself stuck in a very crowded bathroom, with lots of people jostling their way into the bathroom. Maybe going out of the bathroom should help a bit, I think.

While I was waiting for whoever was taking a bath, a young teenage girl approached me and started a conversation.

“Hey, ma’am!” she cried. “Do you happen to know anything about this house?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything about this house other than the fact that it creeps me out,” I replied.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I don’t know the full details, but I think this place is giving me a very bad vibe. Not sure if I should check this place out.”

“Well, suit yourself. I think I’ll just chill out.”

Now that my conversation was over, I decided to take a look inside. Turns out that there was only one person inside, and it was that lady in lilac again. This time, she was cleaning the bathtub. Great. Just great. I came here only to find the bathtub being scrubbed. I could just wait, though.

I finally took a refreshing bath after that wait, but I felt hungry afterwards. It turned out that there was a bowl of warm mac and cheese on the counter, so it wouldn’t hurt if I grabbed a bowl. After grabbing one, I walked to the dining table and found a black-haired man wearing glasses sitting down on one of the chairs with an empty plate in front of him.

“Hi there,” I shouted. Should I tell him about my thoughts about this house? I ended up thinking that I shouldn’t cause more paranoia, so I decided not to. “How’s your day been going, sir?”

“I’m doing fine,” he smiled, “It’s just that there’s a lot of stuff going on lately, what with something wrong with this house. I’m getting to the bottom of this.”

“Well, suit yourself. I guess I’m eating my dinner all by myself, then.”

Afterwards, he got up, picked up his plate, and took off. What a pity! I didn’t get the chance to know him.

I was then joined by that lady in lilac, who also had a bowl of mac and cheese with her. Now should be the time to talk to her.

“Hello,” I said. “My name’s Jill Smith. What’s yours?”

However, all she did was to munch on her mac and cheese as madly as possible.

Gah, I ran out of patience already, and all she did was to waste my time! Oh, well. Time to go to bed.

As I walked towards one of the available beds in the fiery room, I noticed Benedick sleeping on the taken bed. Let’s just hope that there won’t be any nightmares as we sleep.

“Sweet dreams!” I pointed my fingers towards him as I finally reached my bed. Well, off to bed now.

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That was quite a sleep I had! Not only was it comforting, but it was also refreshing. I felt that I could just stay up for the rest of the day until sundown.

As soon as I hopped from my bed, I immediately used the restroom. While using it, I suddenly sat still and thought for a moment. Would it be wise if I try playing the piano to see if there is something wrong with it? Obviously, I was just curious, but still, I needed to prove my point about this house. Having some solid, reliable evidence is definitely key to that.

All of a sudden, however, I was interrupted by the sound of the door opening in front of me. I looked up and was literally irritated by whoever opened the door and came in here. At that moment, I had to keep a calm, stern expression on my face to prevent myself from overreacting.

It appeared that some brown-haired guy was closing his eyes as he entered the restroom. What a moron!

“Hi!” he waved his hand idiotically. “I hope you don’t mind if I use the restroom.”

Angered at this sight, I exclaimed, “Open your eyes, you idiot! Can’t you see that I’m busy using the toilet when you barged in here?”

After that fiasco at the bathroom, I began taking my chance to see if there was anything wrong with the piano. As I played as well as I could, I was rather engrossed at what I played that I actually enjoyed it.

I thought for a moment as I played. Now that I felt nothing wrong with what I was playing, maybe it wasn’t worth the effort to tell others that there was nothing wrong with this house. Or maybe the piano music was actually deceiving me.

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I think I played until it was some time during the afternoon. I couldn’t remember the exact time, to be honest. But what mattered was that I desperately needed a bath. Worse, I can’t humiliate myself by wearing this all the time.

I really meant it when I said I desperately needed a bath! I guess I played the piano for too long that I ended up stinking so bad!

As I was fussing around with how I smelled, I suddenly heard the door opening, and I turned around to see something I somehow expected to see for all this time.

It was Benedick looking all fresh and clean after taking a bath. I haven’t talked to him today so far, so maybe I should ask him whether or not he slept well. Obviously, I wanted it to be a personal thing, and I really didn’t want it to be about my concerns about this house.

I promptly approached him and asked him a question. “So, did you have a good night’s sleep? If so, that’s great.”

“I did have a good night’s sleep, thank you very much,” His voice had an icy tone, most likely from an unwanted suspicion of me. “Don’t worry about me at all. I can take care of myself.”

“Ah, I see. Well, I should go take a bath by now.”

Once I was done asking Benedick, I quickly rushed into the bathroom and took a bath. At this point, I thought to myself as I wiped all that filth in me. Would it be a good idea if I play the piano as best as I could? Honestly, I am no expert because I just started playing since last month, primarily due to boredom whenever I got stressed out from my work in the labs. But I just want to try, though.

Bath time was soon followed by lunchtime. Man, that lunch meat sandwich was quite a treat despite its simplicity. I really recommend others to eat it on occasion. Makes a nice quick meal whenever you’re in work, except that this is no work time due to my current situation.

Soon after lunch time, I walked towards the piano to observe whoever was playing it, if I could really stand the music. Benedick later walked towards me with something to say.

“You know what?” he whispered as he pointed toward the piano at the back. “I feel like some of us tried playing the piano as best as they could while others thought that their playing was horrible.”

“Oh, really?” I replied. “Can you give examples?”

“Just look at Miss Tricou behind me. Remember that she was the one who played the piano often?”

“Yup. What do you mean?”

“Imagine her expression when she found out that people hates her playing.”

“Well, that should definitely be fun to watch,” I chuckled as I thought of Miss Tricou looking extremely pissed off at her audience booing her. Well, that should be fun to watch. “She would probably go into a fit of rage or whatever.”

“Yeah. I think I saw you playing the piano, and you’re not that bad after all.”

“Hehe, thanks for the compliment. I’m actually a newbie at it. Been playing since last month. I just tried the simple tunes, so I expect not a lot of people to appreciate it.”

“Yeah, I never got to play it, though. Just watching people playing it.”

Right after my delightful conversation, that dreaded piano music finally overwhelmed my ears. This just made my efforts at observing the piano impossible. Gah! When will this stop?

Even worse, I was feeling extremely desperate to hold my bladder for a little longer. I should go to the restroom and find out if there was anyone in there. If it was empty, then I better use it quickly.

When I walked into the restroom, I noticed a lady wearing pajamas shooing me off. She better hurry up because I can no longer stand idly by watching other people use it when I needed to use it this instance.

After a few minutes later, I finally succeeded in using the toilet without anyone blocking my way, especially that lady in her pajamas. Ha, I had triumphed at last!

Well, using the toilet just now finally comforted me. But I felt very tired at this point. Perhaps I should just sleep until the morning. Here’s hoping nobody disturbed my sleep.

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That sleep felt very good that I felt reenergized completely. Upon entering the kitchen for something to eat or drink, I saw cans of soda called Milkis on the counter. My, how fortunate of me! I really needed to sate my appetite, so I grabbed a can and drank heartily.

Wow! This must be the most awesome drink I have ever tasted! I would love to drink it again if it ever shows up.

After throwing that can away to the trash can outside, I immediately rode on the sphere to see what it feels like to ride on it. So far, so fun. I should try doing this for a few times.

Alright, that’s enough! I should totally reconsider my decision whenever I ride on these contraptions. The violent motions threw me off from the sphere that I nearly injured my back. Time to do something else less dangerous, then.

It seemed that some people had forgotten to wash the bowls they had left behind on the dining table, so I picked them up and headed to the restroom to wash them myself. As I stepped into the restroom, I spotted Hal cleaning the filthy toilet. Time to wish him luck, then.

Washing the bowls when having the feeling that you’re being stalked is definitely no fun. In fact, that happened to me as I was doing the dishes. How unfortunate of me! When will this feeling go away from me?

Okay, enough is enough! This… peeping tom is just too ridiculous. I better tell him to stop following me.

“Stop following me, you pervert!” I shouted as I slapped his arms. This guy better get out of my sight as soon as possible.

“Easy there!” he muttered. “I was just here to wash the dishes and the toilet.”

“Well, I got the feeling that you were stalking me just now! Don’t you know how embarrassing that was?” Geez, that guy should better back off or I’ll punch him in the face.

Maybe I should just play the piano to see if there was anything wrong with it just to reconfirm my suspicions. Despite the feeling of being stalked, I seemed to enjoy playing the piano. Well, here goes nothing!

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Right after I finished playing the piano, the phone rang and I promptly picked it up to see who was it.

“Hello?” I asked. “Who is it?”

“Hi,” the other person on the phone said. “Let me take a guess. Jill Smith? Coral Oldie? Darleen Matlapin? Gvaudoin Tricou?”

“Well, this is Jill Smith talking.” Who on earth is this? “Can you tell me who this is?”

“This is actually the driver who was meant to take you around SimNation, and you and eight other people were on my list of passengers. But I couldn’t find any of you guys when I arrived to start my shift.”

“Wait, what?” The driver who abandoned us in here was actually an impostor? “Tell me more about what you said just now.”

“My bus got robbed before I could start my shift, but I don’t know how and why? I didn’t bring a lot of money with me, and I’m trying to get to the bottom of this. Just stay where you guys are, and I’ll try get out of this place alive. Got it?”

“Okay, then,” I replied as the other line hung up. Well, isn’t this just great? Not only were we stranded in the middle of nowhere, but the driver on the bus was an impostor. But the question is: Can I really trust whoever that guy was?

Heh, at least using the restroom after that thoughtful phone conversation uplifted my mood a bit, especially since I managed to beat some else to the restroom. I should probably call myself lucky this time.

What could be more comforting than using the toilet? A bath, of course! I felt much warmer every time I take baths, and this house is no exception. I should probably figure out what to do once I finished this bath.

Maybe a can of orange juice fresh from the fridge would help me lift up my spirits. Geez, this place has proven to be numbly boring for long periods of time. There was little else to do but survive. I should find more ways to cope around this place.

Heh, watching someone riding the giant sphere seemed oddly entertaining, what with them enjoying it for a few moments, only to get thrown out by the violent motion of the sphere itself. I think only those with enough experience can hold it longer and better in case such things happen.

I spotted an unfamiliar face sitting on the sofa while walking around the living room. He seemed to look a bit lost. Maybe I should talk to him.

“Hi,” I said. “Who are you and why are you here?”

“My name’s Joe Carr,” the man answered as he lifted his face to look at me. “I got lost wandering around this area, and I just discovered this house. Kinda surprised to see that you guys are here. At least that means more company than just the two of us.”

“Actually, we don’t live here, but we discovered this place two days ago. Kind of a surprise, isn’t it?”

“Well, yeah. I hope my temporary stay here will stay pleasant.”

“It better be. I hope nothing in here’s bothering you at all.”

“Relax. Apart from the sound of the piano, everything suits me just fine.” He raised his arms to make a point, then put them back on his laps.

“I got to tell you, the piano always makes horrible noises whenever someone plays it. At least it doesn’t affect the player.”

“That’s what I thought as well. After all, not everyone’s good at the piano. At least you’ve tried. Speaking of trying, have you ever tried playing the piano before?”

“Of course. I started playing a few months ago, and I love it. However, I don’t consider myself an expert or anything, and I would certainly love to play the piano again.”

“Well, good luck on that.”

A few moments later, I sat at the couch with Benedick sitting next to me. We were silent for a few seconds until he finally opened his mouth to speak up.

“You know what?” he said. “I think there are times when you’re talking through your hat.”

“Well, what do you mean?” I asked. To be honest, I’m not really good with metaphors at all.

“What I mean is that I sometimes think your assumptions about this house sounds like nonsense.”

Nonsense? What I said about this house sound like nonsense? This was too outrageous! I mustn’t let Benedick toss my thoughts aside.

“If you think I’m talking nonsense, then you should try investigating around the house,” I shouted. “There must be evidence about what’s wrong with this house.”

“I did search around this house as best as I could,” he stayed calm, firm, and unswayed by my words. “It’s just that your automatic assumptions about this place lacks evidence, and you should back them up with reasonable clues in the first place. Look, I know that there might be something wrong with this house, but you presented it in a way that seems too vague for me to believe.”

“Okay, fine. But I just need a moment to think for a while.”

“Well, suit yourself. I need to head into the kitchen for a nice drink, if you don’t mind.”

After thinking a moment on the sofa on what Benedick just said, I would say that maybe I might need evidence, but I can’t be a pushover at the same time. In other words, I agreed with Benedick to some extent, but I would stick to my original suspicions about this house.

Anyway, after all that thinking, I walked into the kitchen to see if there was anything in the fridge. Apparently, there was a carton of milk that looked fresh. I drank some, and it did tasted fresh. How interesting. For a house with nobody living in here right now, it was highly unusual to see that everything in the fridge seemed fresh.

My, what a day today! I should sleep in order to relieve my thoughts from all that stuff. Maybe when I wake up, my mind will feel better. I guess this should be the time to take a deep sleep.

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Waking up before sunrise had become my routine so far. Maybe I kept sleeping early, which explains my seemingly boundless energy as I woke up. First thing I do during such an occasion? To the restroom I go.

Unfortunately, it seemed that going to the restroom wasn’t exactly the best idea to do first thing one wakes up. In fact, my stomach grumbled so hard that I realized how starving I was. In that case, I had to go to the kitchen to see if there was any food or not. After that, I might as well take a bath. I can’t run around in this house any longer wearing nothing but these.

Unfortunately there was no food in the kitchen, so a bath should remedy that. At least I was all fresh and well-dressed as a result of it. Time to go back to the kitchen, then.

Once I stepped into the kitchen, I heard someone walking right behind me and turned around to see Joe Carr. What did he want from me?

“Hi again, sweet cheeks!” he said in a somewhat sleazy tone. “What are you up to here? I hope you don’t mind if I keep you company.”

He sounded like trouble to me, but what should I say to him? A half second later, I knew what to say to him. This better work on him. “How about a no for now? I can take care of myself.”

“Oh, come on. I can also take you out of this shack whenever you’re bored.”

This time, I had enough. I can’t imagine myself getting out of this house until real rescue comes, and Joe doesn’t look or act like he’s from the rescue team at all.

“For the last time, NO!” I shouted. Geez, what a nuisance! “I can’t go out with someone I can’t really trust. Just by your suggestive speech, I can tell that I can’t trust you at all! Now leave me alone!”

Unfortunately, he didn’t leave me alone. In fact, after I finished eating my lunch I went to the restroom by way of the fiery room. But I still felt that eerie feeling of someone following me, so I turned around to find out that he was still around. I had become so sick to death of him being so much of a jerk around here that I better act.

“I already told you to leave me alone!” I poked him in the chest. “This better be the last straw!”

“Okay, Okay,” he struggled to smile like he saw this as a big deal. “Easy there. I was just wandering around here, that’s all.”

Just wandering around here, eh? Well, that wasn’t enough of a good reason why he was here. I must find a way to get my mind off of this thing.

I was so relieved to see that playing the piano managed to get my mind off of Joe. That jerk better stay away from me that this point in time. Perhaps playing some music can divert my energy into playing some music. I know this may not be a masterpiece, but I still enjoyed it.

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Playing the piano helped me get into a better mood, and I felt grateful for that. Maybe I should talk to someone in a calm manner. That would be nice, I guess. In this case, Benedick Monty was my prime target.

“Why, hello there,” I tried to act as calm as possible. “I hope you’re not feeling distraught right now.”

“You know what?” he flinched angrily as he closed his eyes. What a grouch. “I kinda can’t stand the look of your eyes. Give me a break for a while, okay?”

That time with Benedick was a fiasco, so I had to get my mind off of that. Perhaps using the restroom might help me.

As I was using the toilet, I thought I heard someone calling my name. I turned my head towards the left to see the lady wearing pajamas before, except that she was in her normal clothing. What did she wanted from me?

As we walked into the living room, she started talking with me.

“I guess we haven’t introduced ourselves properly,” she said. “Maybe this should be the time to do it now. Hi, my name’s Darleen Matlapin and I come from Peasantview. I’m assuming you’re Jill Smith, right?”

So she wanted to talk to me this time, huh? I was surprised to hear that she actually knew my name, but how did she found out anyway? Oh, and I actually tried talking to her a few days ago, but that didn’t work out very well. This better be a successful try.

“How did you know my name in the first place?” I asked. “I tried talking to you during the day we first got here, but you were busy eating. Maybe this should be a good opportunity. Oh, and I come from Strangetown.”

“Some guy named Joe Carr told me. My apologies for not responding to you earlier, but I was rather hungry that I didn’t pay attention to you.”

So she know from Joe Carr, eh? I knew that guy was a nosy busybody. Should I just tell her that I hated him. But on second thought, I might have something to say in the form of the piano first. “Say, have you ever tried playing the piano here? I tried it, and it was absolutely fantastic.”

“I tried playing it for a while, but I had to stop because I wasn’t feeling well at that time.”

“That certainly doesn’t sound nice at all. And speaking of something unpleasant, that Joe Carr guy you told me about was a bit of a pest around this house, don’t you agree?”

She just stood there without saying a word until a half second later. “Why don’t you really like Joe at all? He’s been behaving mildly towards me earlier today.”

Sounds like she didn’t know the bad side of Joe. I think she should know that he was really up to no good.

Later at night, I spotted Joe again in this house. That’s it! I should tell him to stay away from me and probably all of us as well. This had gotten out of control.

“Listen up, punk!” I shouted as I poked him in the chest. “If you dare mess around here, I’ll break your knuckles for real!”

“Easy there!” he screamed. “I think you’re overreacting to all this stuff. I just wanted to make sure you don’t go through all this mess in the long run by offering to stay with me, but you refused.”

“That’s because you’re a stranger whose speech is making me suspicious. You have no right to approach me again, ever.”

Gee, keeping that guy away from me felt exhausting, so I immediately slept on the double bed for extra comfort. Felt like I needed to calm down for now.

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About half an hour later, I found myself being awakened by someone else’s snore. That was rather unexpected and a bit frustrating. I just felt myself waking up to that noise.

I turned around to see Benedick sleeping beside me. That shocked me deep down inside. Not to mention that it made me a bit furious as well. That perv better find somewhere else to sleep instead. Anyway, off to find another bed to sleep.

Fortunately, the fiery room had a spare bed that I could sleep on, where I could sleep without interference, including Benedick. This should mean a good night’s sleep for me, then.

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The bath I took before sunrise was rejuvenating to my hygiene. Afterwards, I felt the need to eat breakfast. As I walked to the kitchen through the main bedroom, I spotted Darleen sleeping on the double bed. Man, sounds like she had been having a lot of bad luck in terms of time management. I think it has affected us as a whole.

Lovely. Just lovely. These toaster pastries are definitely a feast guaranteed in times of crisis like this. But I sometimes wished I could eat something fancier than these. At least these act like makeshift treats for the moment.

I was amused to see Benedick using the sphere. By then, I didn’t know if it was right to feel excited to see people using it, but I guess watching how long can they stay in the sphere without getting tossed out looks fun after all. Whatever that is, I just have to live with it, I guess.

Once he stood up after getting thrown out of the sphere, I thought it would be a good idea to talk to him about that sphere. I think that thing was just too irresistible to use.

“So,” I said, “How was it when you were riding that sphere? It sure looks fun.”

“Honestly,” he replied, “Have you ever tried it before?”

“I tried it once, and I got thrown out of it as a result. Whatever that was, I would love to try it out again.”

“You definitely should!” his voice was unusually loud as he made a fist from his right hand. “It’s like riding a roller coaster without having to sit down! I’m glad you tried it out!”

“Well, yeah. It is really thrilling because I love to watch people spinning in the sphere itself.”

“Great! I better go take a bath. See you later.”

Afterwards, I saw that guy in the gray suit riding on the sphere. This should be fun. In fact, I cheered for him as he spun around with the sphere.

My attention was cut short when I saw Buck going on a fit of rage after going inside. That really looked bad. I better calm him down before he made a fool of himself.

I quickly walked towards him and patted him on the shoulder while saying, “There, there. Just calm down and relax. Everything will be alright.”

A few seconds later, he finally calmed down after taking a deep breath. It worked! That was a marvel to behold! As he opened his eyes, he said, “Thank you so much for that!”

Now that I had calmed Buck down, it was time for me to use the sphere and take a ride in it. This should be fun, but I hope I learned my lesson from the previous ride.

However, the ride on the sphere had become too much for me that I ended up throwing up afterwards. Totally need to be extra careful next time I use this contraption. I should probably go eat something as well, just because I felt a bit hungrier as a result of throwing up.

As I walked into the kitchen, I smelled something very nice. Must be good food around here somewhere. I was so excited that I can’t even stop my mouth from wanting to taste the food.

So the food turned out to be toaster pastry, and a rotten one, no less. No matter. I ended up eating it because it would be a waste if I threw it away, and I hope I didn’t get sick from eating this stuff.

I was relieved that I didn’t feel my bowels aching from eating the pastry. I guess I would consider myself lucky enough to have an immune system so strong that I have a low chance of getting food poisoning. But I felt bored afterwards, so I thought maybe watching the TV would help me overcome my boredom. That show was quite a good watch, and I appreciated it.

Man, the air in the living room felt very muggy and stale, so I entered the main bedroom in the hopes that the air would be fresher. Inside, there was Darleen wearing her night dress. She probably just woke up from her sleep, but I hope telling her about the living room air would help.

“Ugh!” I held my nose as I approached her. “Have you ever noticed how stale the living room air is? It feels like that ever since we got here. I was initially neutral about it until right now, when it finally got into my nerves. We should’ve brought in air freshener with us when we first came here.”

“It sure is,” she giggled a bit. What’s with her, anyway? “By the way, the main reason is because there’s no air conditioner at all. I mean, every single one of the rooms lack one.”

Upon hearing this, I was shocked and horrified. This house is doomed to feel all muggy due to the absence of air conditioners? That really sucks!

“How could this be?!” I asked. “Every room needs one, just like the houses in Strangetown!”

“Look, this isn’t Strangetown. I mean, look around us. There’s grass, so I’m assuming this place isn’t as hot and dry as Strangetown. You better get used to it from now on.”

“But still, what happens if the weather is excruciatingly hot or cold? That’s one good reason why this house needs something like an air conditioner.”

“Can you just acknowledge the fact that things are different in here compared to where we come from originally? I don’t want to hear any more of your complaints about this house. What’s said is said. End of story.”

Wow! That sounded like a stern warning. I must be careful so that I won’t cross the line and piss Darleen off. I better do something else, then.

Escaping from any potential trouble was a bit risky, but I finally made it. In the kitchen, I spotted that peeping tom making sandwiches. Nice to see him preoccupied with something that has nothing to do with stalking someone.

Basically, hanging around the house was a complete pain for me. I had already done a lot in there, and I finally got a bit bored of them. Worse, the air itself was completely stale. Here’s hoping the outdoors would calm my mind.

As I stepped outside for some fresh air, I saw the lady in the black dress going outside as well. Maybe she also wanted to take a deep breath of fresh air as well.

“Miss… ummm…” I tried to ask, but what was her name?

“Tricou,” she replied.

“Well, what brings you here?”

“I came here because the air inside that hovel was odious beyond my imagination.”

Finally someone who agreed with me that the air in the house was awful through and through. I must take the time to get to know her. “Hi. My name’s Jill Smith, but judging from the way you speak, you can just call me Miss Smith. I’m so glad that you agree with me about that awful house.”

“Indubitably,” she replied in an enthusiastic tone. “My, that hovel has quite a foul stench, does it not?”

“Of course. You know, do you happen to find anything unusual about the house?”

“The only thing amiss about this house was the insolence of certain people in here.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about. What I’m talking about was anything peculiar, as if it was there already.”

After hearing what I said, she immediately froze. What had I done, by the way?

Weird conversation aside, I thought it would be a good idea to eat a nice sandwich. My stomach was grumbling a bit, and I could do with a bit of a light meal to alleviate that. I was slightly glad that Coral joined me as well. Maybe I should talk to her just for once, maybe even playing a game or two.

“Can I ask you something?” I asked, hoping to get an answer right away.

“Not now,” she replied in between munches. “Can’t you see that I’m eating? We’ll talk later, okay?”

Huh? That was strange. What did I exactly do to hurt her feelings? That was never my intention. I mean, she was normally amiable when it comes to me. Maybe I should just wait until nighttime.

Once the sun had set, I saw that peeping tom in the fiery room. For some reason, he didn’t hesitate to approach me.

“What is it that you want?” I asked.

“I think we haven’t properly introduced ourselves yet,” he answered. “My name’s Hal Capp, if you don’t mind.”

So he just wanted to tell me my name, eh? At least it wasn’t anything weird. “My name’s Jill Smith, and I’m from…”

Before I could speak further, a familiar voice sounding like an “Ahem!” suddenly came to my ears. I better turn around to see who that was.

I turned around to see Coral behind me. I sort of didn’t expect her to find me here. Must be about the conversation we had when we were eating sandwiches. This shall be the moment that I really play with her. Something simple should suffice.

“What is it now?” I asked.

“Remember that evening meal we had?” she asked. “Well, here I am. What do you want?”

“I want to play some games with you. I hope you don’t mind that. Besides, that would help us know each other better.”

“Sure thing. Let’s play red hands and punch you-punch me.”

Once she finished talking, we started playing those two games. Man, they were fun and definitely a break from all that boredom I finally got sick of in this house.

I was finally worn out after playing with Coral, so I quickly hopped on to bed once we finished playing. At least they were fun and definitely worth the moment.

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