[center] [h1][color=turquoise]The Great Penrose Movie Marathon[/color][/h1] [h1][color=turquoise]E[/color] [i]m i l y[/i][/h1] [img]https://i.imgur.com/UCPz7e1.png[/img] [color=turquoise]"So many people~!"[/color] [color=888888]— Emily[/color] [/center] The school's field was alive with a cacophony of yelling, screaming, insulting, and reprimanding on this hot day some years ago. At the center of it were two figures, a boy and a girl, one standing triumphant and the other, defeated and on the ground, rubbing their check as they sobbed. It was clear as day that the two had gotten into a fight. The girl had was riddled with small bruises both on her face and, as she would later discover in the nurse's office, her arms. She had tried her best to block the boy's wild throws but she could have done a lot better. But she stood victorious. [b]"Idiot!"[/b] she spat at the boy who on the ground. [b]"Ain't no reason to be acting like a jackass!"[/b] she raised her fist in a threatening manner but all she was met with was a teacher seizing her hand and yelling about the possibility of detention versus expulsion. ......... She had to walk home with the knowledge she would be dealing with one angry mother, a thought that scared her more than anything else. Beside her was sister. She was the miniboss. [b]"Oh, I was so scared you got seriously hurt,"[/b] her sister said. [b]"Thank God!"[/b] the girl was pulled into a deep hug for a few seconds. This somewhat touching moment was ruined by her sister seizing her ear and giving it a firm tug, which hurt more than anything that boy threw at her. [b]"Yeow! Yeow! What gives, huh!?"[/b] she was at the mercy of her sister, who merely shook her head in anger and disappointment. [b]"How could you get into a fight at school? We talked about violence before!"[/b] she scolded. The young girl pouted. [b]"That's cus they were being dumb idiots! And mean!"[/b] [b]"That's no excuse for violence."[/b] her sister snapped. Fighting was something she had long ago made known that she loathed. [b]"Yeah it is! Cus they..."[/b] the girl suddenly went quiet and pouted. Her sister glanced down at the girl only to realize she was still holding her by the ear. Letting go, she apologized. [b]"Sorry,"[/b] she told the girl, only to then asked, [b]"Cus they what? You know there's no point in hiding it. The warden will get it out of you soon enough when you get home."[/b] The warden was, of course, a playful name they called their mom when she was upset. And she was certainly going to be. If there was one constant in this world that the girl believed in, it was that her sister would forgive her. She wished she had this kind of strength herself. But... not having that sort of strength was why she got into the fight in the first place. [b]"They... said mean things about me... and ya,"[/b] the girl finally admitted. [b]"Oh? What mean things did they say?"[/b] her sister inquired. [b]"They were talkin' bout families and stuff,"[/b] she began. From the subtle shift in her sister's features, the girl could tell her sister knew where this was going but she continued anyway. [b]"and then they started saying stuff bout me and ya, so I got upset."[/b] [b]"And so you started a fight, just like that? I'm ash--"[/b] The girl cut her sister off. [b]"No! I told 'em to shut up, first! I tried being reasonable like ya said to and all but that didn't work!"[/b] the girl got worked up the more she went on. [b]"One of 'em kept goin' on and on and he wouldn't shut up! He said that just cus' ya ain't born from the same ma as me that ya aren't my real sister, so that's why I gave him a whoopin'!"[/b] The girl caught a brief but significant twist in her sister's features. Her sister smiled in a clear attempt to hide the effect it had on her. [b]"Don't let it get to you,"[/b] she calmly said, patting the girl's back. [b]"Being a sister is more than just having the same blood in your veins,"[/b] she affirmed. [b]"Love and wanting the best for one another is all that is needed."[/b] The girl shook her head. [b]"Yeah, maybe. But that numbskull didn't know nothin' bout that! And! He made me madder than a short guy witha yoyo! He got his just deserts!"[/b] Her sister then flicked her forehead, knelt down in front of her, then smiled. [b]"You can be better than that, you know,"[/b] The girl looked away. [b]"...Yeah, but I wanted him to feel like me and ya felt."[/b] [b]"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."[/b] she quoted. The girl scratched her head. [b]"Um, but don't we got two? We'd still be able to see with one..."[/b] Her sister laughed. [b]"It's a saying that means you shouldn't solve violence with violence. But I think it applies to anything negative. Pain in any form will likely spread,"[/b] she explained. [b]"So wouldn't it be better to instead spread kindness and love?"[/b] [b]"Huh?"[/b] [b]"I know it'll be hard but I want you to take any frustrations you have and turn them into benevolent actions. Spread joy instead of more anger and I'm sure the world will be a lot better off. I think there's enough violence already,"[/b] The girl went quiet for a minute. She thought about how upset that boy had made her and how bad she felt she had to give him a beating. How was she supposed to do something positive with those emotions? That made no sense! But, if her sister was telling her to try, then there had to be something. [b]"I-I guess I can give it a shot..."[/b] she told her sister, who beamed a bright smile in response. [b]"Wonderful!"[/b] she exclaimed as they drew near to their house. [b]"I want that to go for any negative emotion, okay?"[/b] as she asked this of the girl, the sister opened the door to their home. [b]"Even despair. I know you can do it."[/b] What waited for them on the other side was a look that could kill, and it was being directed at the girl. Her ear was going to be red for the next few days, she knew it. [b]"M-maybe it's not possible after all..."[/b] ------- Emily snapped herself out of the daydream as things began to pick up. She tried not to remember the embarrassing things she said to her sister back then, but since those memories were all she had left of the girl, they weren't entirely unwelcome. Having returned to the real world, she realized she was standing in front of Sakura's 'rules' and remembered what she had been doing. With pen in hand, she crossed out the last rule on the list and replaced it with "Make friends!" instead of the more vulgar one. As much as she appreciated Sakura looking out for her, she would prefer not to have something like that just hanging around her place, if possible. Her task was finished just as more people began coming in. When Sakura said she had invited people over, she was not expecting this many at first. It made her upset that her place wasn't exactly the most accommodating for a party as big as it was looking to be, but she had moved anything that cluttered the place out of sight beforehand. [color=turquoise]"Hello!"[/color] Emily greeted the group of guests who had suddenly appeared, consisting of Alex, Lily, Shane, Connie, and Mia. She felt so excited! [color=turquoise]"I'm glad you all could make it! As far as edible things go, you can place them anywhere there's space in the kitchen for now while we wait for everyone to show!"[/color] she directed them to the kitchen with a finger, even though it wasn't really necessary. She went ahead and addressed the direct introduction to herself after she ensured the others knew where to go. [color=turquoise]"Shannon?"[/color] the name was vaguely familiar to her. But... wait, wasn't Shannon more of a girl's name? What was the deal with Shane, then? [color=turquoise]"Um..."[/color] she wasn't sure how she should react. [color=turquoise]"Oh, well, it's good to see you again! Forgive me if I'm wrong, but were you at the beach?"[/color] she asked to make sure.