Skips: I've Seen This Before Novels & Stories

The audio blasted through the boardroom speakers via the car’s Bluetooth, which Lilia hadn't realized was still synced. "LILIA!" the woman shouted, her voice echoing off the marble walls. "I am looking at the television! Why are you on the news with a man who looks like he has never eaten a carbohydrate in his life? And why is there mustard on his face? Are you in trouble? Do I need to call your cousin Vinny?" The entire board of Wagner Enterprises sat in stunned silence as the "Future Mrs. Wagner’s" grandmother threatened to send a mob-adjacent relative to rescue her.

I throw the chair towards the window-smashing both the window and the chair. She doesn’t want me. I should’ve known that this was some twisted game that the Goddess is making me play. I am not good enough to have a second mate. She probably knows of everything I have done and she hates me. I sit on the floor looking out of the window and my mind flys to eleven years ago. Eleven years ago *FLASHBACK*

JumpStart: "No. No. No. No. No! Ahh!" I scream as I stomp my fists against the table. "Where is that program? Where is it? I searched this whole computer but still can't find it! What if Silent is right? What if the water destroys it? If the water did destroy the program, then does that mean the end for my friends? QuickShot. Ms. Justice. SpeedBlade. No! I won't give up! I can't. They're depending on me! I have to find it! And if I can't, then I will make one myself!"

And yet, no matter how far I look into the distance, I can never see the land of my homeland. *]:pointer-events-auto scroll-mt-(--header-height)" dir="auto" data-turn-id="5efd678b-392c-402b-9e8e-9601b39ee3c5" data-testid="conversation-turn-177" data-scroll-anchor="false" data-turn="user">

I reached the other side of the path and stopped. Just for a second. To check. Big mistake. Because the moment I looked up. It was there again. Closer. Too close. Standing at the edge of the path I just exited. My breath caught. “No…” It hadn’t followed me. It had skipped. Adjusted. Again. “Don’t look at it directly,” she said quickly. “I already did,” I whispered. The pressure spiked instantly. Sharper. More focused. Like I had just confirmed something for it. “What did you do?” she asked.

Get full records. One thread at a time. Until her entire web came apart.

Fiona quickly leaned over, her face a mask of confusion, “What is it, Miss Rhea? What are you looking at?” I sighed, a long, weary exhalation that was half frustration, half dawning understanding. This was exactly why no one had seen anything. It wasn't about what was missing; it was about what was duplicated. “Play it again.” I instructed, my voice slow and deliberate now, “And watch the timestamp. Very carefully.” I pointed to the small digital counter in the corner of the screen, “Now, watch this specific spot in the background, right beside the red car.”

: Wanna see where I'm working. With a photo attachment. I clicked on it, clicking my heels as it loaded. No way. No way.

Same as always. Home.

"I found it. I found the door." #