#Certificate lost ad in newspaper

[newspaper-advertisement]

Simplifying the Process of Booking a Lost Share Certificate Advertisement

[dandelionsresilience]

whether the internet becomes an intolerable surveillance state, ubiquitous subscription model, or unusably ad- or AI-ridden shithole, I think we need to remember

how to do things offline

either on your personal hard drive (just because it’s an app doesn’t mean the information is stored in your device) or on paper. I’m not saying the collapse of the internet is imminent, and I’m not suggesting we do everything completely without technology, or even stop using it until we have to. (to be clear, I also don’t think the internet will just blink out of existence, suddenly stop being a thing at all; rather I think it might continue to lose its usefulness to the point where it’s impossible to get anything done. anyway) but some people may have forgotten how we got by before the internet (I almost have!), and the younger generation might not have experienced it at all.

I figure most people probably use the internet mainly for communication with friends and family, entertainment and creation (eg. writing), and looking up how to do things, so here’s how to do those things offline:

First and most importantly, download everything important to you onto at least one hard drive and at least one flashdrive! files can get corrupted and hardware can get damaged or lost, but as long as you keep backup copies, you have much-closer-to-guaranteed access versus hoping a business doesn’t decide to paywall, purge, or otherwise revoke your access. I would recommend getting irreplaceable photos printed as well

download and/or print/write down:

anything important to you - photos/videos, journals, certificates, college transcripts

contact info - phone numbers and/or addresses of friends/family (know how to contact them if you can’t use your favourite messaging app), doctors (open hours would be good too), veterinarians if you have pets, and work

how-to’s - recipes (one, two), emergency preparedness (what do I do if… eg. I smell gas)

other things you might google: cleaning chemicals to NOT mix, what laundry tag symbols mean, people food dogs and cats can and can’t eat, plant toxicity to pets

and know offline ways to find things out - local radio station, newspaper, a nearby highway rest area might have a region map, public libraries usually have a bunch of resources

also, those of you who get periods should strongly consider not using period tracking apps! here’s how to track your period manually

free printable period tracker templates (no printer? public libraries usually charge a few cents per page, or you can recreate it by hand)

moving on to entertainment, you can still get most media for free! it’s completely legal to download your favourite movies to your own personal hard drive, you just can’t sell or distribute copies (not legal advice)

movies: wcostream.tv (right click the player) - the url changes every once in a while but usually redirects; I recently noticed that it’s hiding a lot of movies behind “premium,” so it may or may not work anymore | download youtube videos

music: how to get music without streaming it | legal free downloads

games: steamunlocked.net - doesn’t have every game and can be slow to update, but very reliable

books: free online libraries | legal free downloads

otherwise passing time:

active outdoor games

for road trips (social verbal games)

for when power’s out

for sheltering in place (not all offline, but good ideas)

board games (often found at thrift stores)

ad-free customisable games collection (mobile)

read, write, draw, or whatever your craft is, sing, dance, clean, reorganise, take a bath

go outside - excuses include napping (if safe), eating, reading, finding cool plants/animals/rocks, playing with the dog

places to go include:

zoos and museums can be surprisingly cheap

parks and nature preserves

library, mall, or game shop

and a few miscellaneous things for good measure:

time budgeting | household management

how to use a planner | I’ve had success with visually blocked-out schedules like these

please add on if you have any other offline alternatives to common uses of the internet!

[wendellcapili]

On 1 April 2016, a devastating fire at the Faculty Center of the UP College of Arts and Letters resulted in the loss of irreplaceable items that held immense sentimental value to me. The destroyed items were the original copies of all my diplomas, from grade school to my Ph.D. In addition, my books and other publications, medals, trophies, plaques, and certificates were all gone in the blaze.

The fire also consumed my library, which contained souvenirs from my travels and studies overseas. Books, journals, newspapers, magazines, family portraits, photo albums with friends and students, blue books, drafts and papers of former students (since 1988!), and other memorabilia that held memories were reduced to ashes. Among the lost items were an antique narra trunk that belonged to my maternal grandmother and art nouveau narra chairs from my paternal grandparents.

The fire also claimed posters and invitations from plays where many students had been involved with theater groups like Dulaang UP, UP Repertory Company, UP Tropa, and UP Playwrights Theatre (among them, Kanakan Balintagos, Eugene Domingo, Frances Makil-Ignacio, Lani Sumalinog, and Buddy Zabala, who, with the other members of The Eraserheads, took part in Kanakan’s Manhid at Palma Hall Lobby). I also lost personal copies of invites to launch books from Anvil, Bookmark, Giraffe, Kalikasan, New Day, UP, Ateneo, DLSU, and UST publishing houses. A long table from my late father's library and sketches, paintings, and other artworks created by friends, colleagues, and former students from the UP College of Fine Arts (among them, Leo Abaya, Virginia Dandan, Neil Doloricon, Alexis Galvez, Sajid Imao, Maningning Miclat, Anthony Palomo, Annie Pacaña) were also lost in the fire.

The destruction of archival data from my research projects, as well as book gifts from mentors and friends, added to the overwhelming loss. The CAL Faculty Center, which was not just a workplace but a place of creativity and community and home to many National Artists, Palanca winners, and highly acclaimed figures, is gone. Since 2016, my colleagues and I have not had a designated physical space to write, read, prepare lectures, upgrade our expertise, and connect with students, colleagues, and guests from other academic units, universities, and institutions.

The fire's aftermath has left me grappling with unanswered questions about its cause and the extent of the damage. The absence of permanent offices and incubation spaces for CAL teachers, artists, researchers, and staff members is a bitter realization. Despite the loss, I am grateful for the memories and experiences housed within the Faculty Center, and I will carry them with me as I navigate this new chapter without a physical space to call my own.

However, In addition to the individual impacts on our work and well-being, the absence of designated faculty offices and incubation spaces since 2016 has profoundly affected the overall sense of community within our college. The lack of shared spaces where we can come together, brainstorm ideas, and collaborate on projects has resulted in a noticeable decrease in interactions and partnerships among faculty members.

This isolation from one another has created a disconnect within our college community, hindering our ability to work together effectively. As a result, our capacity to engage in creative and research projects has been significantly compromised. Without these essential spaces for collaboration, we are unable to fully leverage the diverse expertise and talents of our colleagues, ultimately limiting our potential for innovation and growth.

CAL urgently needs more than just administrative offices. We require dedicated spaces to facilitate and enhance our ability to work together, fostering a more vibrant and collaborative environment. By providing us with the necessary infrastructure and resources, we can better compete with other institutions locally and globally, ensuring our continued success and relevance in the academic community.

[getmeupsocial]

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[certificatelost]

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[yuktiastro]

Read more-  Personal Documents Lost

[onlineadvertisements]

[newspaper-advertisement]

Prompt Action: Benefits of Reporting Lost Share Certificates in Newspapers

[five-miles-over]

They'll Call Your Crimes a Work of Art

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Summary: A journalist for a small magazine in New York, you've been assigned to write a piece about the recent attacks led by Loki. When writer's block hits, you turn to various sources for inspiration. You find that the newspapers and tabloids call him a 'terrorist' and a 'psychopath' but with less-than-concrete explanations. So, you have a look at Loki himself to get your own perspective.

They say that writer's block is a curse, and the blank page is the enemy. Well actually, no one said that as far as you knew. But it was one of the lessons you remembered from numerous writing courses and years of experience writing articles. This article felt no different. Here you were, sitting in your cubicle within the office at five o'clock on a Thursday evening, facing the same old enemy and battling the same old curse. In the background, you could hear each movement of the analog clock in the office.

Tick, tick, tick, tick…

For this week you were in charge of writing a story for your magazine about the attacks on New York City. Attacks that took the lives of eighty people in two days, left a large portion of the metropolitan area in rubble, stopped by a group known as the "Avengers", and were carried out by a mysterious force. 

Actually, 'mysterious' was the wrong word; everyone knew who lead them. They were carried out by a being named Loki, who called himself a god. He did have the same name as a Norse deity, the God of Mischief…but it couldn't be him, right? Then again, this "Loki" had no background information available - no tax records, no school credentials, let alone a birth certificate - to prove that he was, well, a human citizen. Being a fan of mythology and legends, you thought that maybe…just maybe, he could be a real-life god. But other than you, who would believe that? Certainly not your editor, who claimed to understand nothing but 'cold, hard facts'.

Tick, tick, tick, tick…

Annoyed with being unable to come up with a good lede or an outline, you wandered towards the staff room and made yourself a pot of coffee. While the machine dripped and fizzled, you picked up an issue of the New York Times. Absent-mindedly flipping through the pages, you found yourself going back to the front cover.

It was a photograph (from the Associated Press) of Loki, with greasy black hair, a muzzle over his mouth, and handcuffs. On the photograph were the words, "Avengers Stop Terror Attack on New York City".

You poured yourself a cup of freshly-made coffee, added some French Vanilla coffee creamer, and meandered back to your cubicle, coffee in one hand and newspaper in the other. 

Tick, tick, tick, tick.

Scanning the article, there didn't seem to be anything that stuck out to you. There were mentions of the lives lost, the damages incurred,…and the money that the government was doling out to repair the city. But then, there was something that drew your attention. They constantly referred to Loki as "the terrorist behind the attacks" with "unclear motivations". Unclear motivations…

Once you reached your cubicle, you kept the newspaper aside, took another sip of your coffee, and typed 'Loki New York' in your computer's search engine. Several articles from bigger, flashier magazines and tabloids came up, all of them with titles such as, 

"The New Hitler?"

"German Terrorist, Enemy of the Avengers"

"Satan Has Come to Earth, and He's a Psychopath Who Calls Himself God."

You grimaced. Where did people come up with these click-bait ideas? You scrolled through almost all of the articles; not one of them provided enough concrete evidence to call Loki a psychopath, let alone Satan or Hitler. They just repeated statistics found in the New York Times, and told their readers to look both ways when crossing the street. And most people should have known by now that psychopathy is something that needs to be diagnosed, preferably by a psychiatric professional. 

Tick, tick, tick, tick.

That's right, you reminded yourself, I still have to get my story done before tomorrow's meeting. 

With a deep breath, you opened up YouTube and clicked on a video leaked from a German security camera showing the entire speech Loki made in Stuttgart, at a museum gala. 

Wearing a golden helmet with horns, dark emerald robes, Loki approached the quivering crowd with a scepter in hand. "Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation?"

You paused the video, and scribbled down that quote on a blue sticky note, word for word. Humans crave subjugation…really? Don't most people like to be in control of their own lives? I mean, no one likes being told what to do.

Loki continued to address the crowd. "The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life’s joy in a mad scramble for power. For identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel.”

Pausing the video again, you scribbled the rest of his words on a separate sticky note. Tapping your pen, you pursed your lips, trying to figure out what that could possibly mean.

A bright lure of freedom diminishes life's joy…so the joy of living, the pleasure that one experiences in being alive is lessened by the promise of freedom. 

Deciding to keep track of your thoughts, you began typing your thoughts on the blank Word document that had been open all day.

According to Loki, the pleasure that one experiences in being alive, you typed, is lessened by the promise of freedom. But humans love freedom, isn't that why throughout history, people have been willing to lay their lives down for independence? Practically half the world has fought the British empire at some point for independence. Then how can one say that freedom diminishes life's joy?

Then again…Loki may have a point, you continued to type your thoughts. It's one kind of struggle to fight for freedom from an oppressive regime, but it's another kind of struggle to make do with the freedom that one has been given. It's not easy, isn't it? After gaining the prize of independence, each country must figure out how to manage themselves. Thus, countries form their own governments in which power is handled by a few select leaders. 

Sometimes those leaders are benevolent and kind, and sometimes those leaders are tyrannical and oppressive.

But going back to Loki's point, perhaps he is right in saying that humans are meant to be ruled. Without a ruler, be it a president or a prime minister or a king, or someone to enforce order, humans fall into chaos just like flowers without roots.

Loki finished his speech by saying "In the end, you will always kneel." And in response, someone spoke up and said, "not to men like you." To me, that begs the question, "What makes someone worth...kneeling? If we the people do not kneel before men like Loki, then whom do we kneel before?"

Whether we know it or not, we kneel everyday. We kneel before those we love, putting their happiness before ours. We kneel before those whom we trust, allowing them to place certain regulations on our society. We kneel before those whom we fear, obeying their every word because we believe that they have the power to harm us if we disobey them.

Then is Loki wrong in saying that in the end, we always kneel?

He may bear the same name as the God of Mischief, but Loki's words call to a serious facet of human nature. While the skyscrapers of New York City are being rebuilt, we must take a moment to redefine our idea of freedom. How truly free are we in this day and age? Is every freedom truly a gift, or are there freedoms that have caused more harm than good? 

You blinked at the sight of your Word document, which was now the opposite of blank. Perhaps you might have a unique story waiting to be published. All that was left to do was continue writing, and maybe add some more structure. 

Filled with a new sense of energy, you furiously typed away…and watched the clip of Loki's speech at least three more times. 

By the time you finished typing your draft, and editing any grammatical mistakes (or stylistic errors), the clock read eight forty-five. You sighed and threw your head back. Gods, this were not expecting to be done this late.

And as if worrying about catching the next train wasn't enough, the sound of mysterious footsteps outside of your office sent your heart racing. Who could be here this late?

The footsteps became more loud and crisp with every step. In a panic, you pressed 'control-P' on your computer and hastily logged out before grabbing your things and fleeing the office. Your article was saved, surely you could print it out tomorrow if necessary. But right now, you just needed to get home. 

Narrowly escaping the source of the footsteps, you scrambled out of the office, into the large elevator, and out of the building. 

The next morning, you returned to your desk to find the article printed on your desk…under an unknown, luminous, blue cube which served as a paperweight. 

[creativethinksmediaworld]

Hence, advertisements can play a significant role in the success of the business. An advertisement can represent your business on all platforms and makes your services or products visible across the country/world. In today's era, the newspaper is the oldest yet the most powerful medium to reach out to more people. Click here to know more - Creative Thinks Media

[orlissa]

What is the difference between a name day and a birth day? Like obviously your birthday is the day you’re born but what is the former?

Okay, so basically: in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions, you have a bunch of saints, and those saints have their feast days (which gave people in the ye olden days reason to parteeee from time to time). And people often got named after saints. So, say, you were named after St. Nicholas. His feast day is December 6. Now that's your nameday.

Of course, over time the tradition totally lost its religious connotations (like, some 20% of Hungary's population is Protestant--at least culturally/coming from a Protestant lineage; the number of people who actively practice their faith is much lower--, and they celebrate their namedays as well). New names came into use (currently, Hungarian is taking over a lot of Anglo-Saxon names, for example), they were... just added to the roster. Like, got assigned a date.

When you buy a calendar in Hungary, it will actually showcase the namedays for every given day, although usually just one or two per day (because of the new names, each day can actually have a bunch of names assigned to it. (Like... my name is Orsolya, and back in the day that was the only form you could have put on the birth certificate, but now some nickname forms, such as Orsi and Orsika are also allowed, so the namedays for those are also celebrated on the "Orsolya" day.) Daily newspapers usually run all the namedays for the day.

Namedays are especially handy in the workplace, for example--your colleagues would not that likely celebrate your birthday, because that'd require asking personal questions, remembering dates, etc. But your nameday? That's on the calendar. In the newspaper.

I kinda celebrate mine, but don't care that much about it? Like, usually I just use it as an excuse to get together with friends and have a couple of drinks.

Fun fact: there are now calendars for pet namedays!

[certificatelost]

Read more- https://www.certificatelost.com/services/share-certificate-lost

[girlofmanyfandoms]

Advocates

A/n: So, I feel bad for not posting lately, here’s my AU where I take a slightly different take on the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. A few changes that I’m trying to make: more friendship-based, no love triangle, probably more gay, more racially diverse cast (without any harmful stereotypes). I’ll try to stay true to each character’s personality!

I’ll also take this time to say there’s stuff I haven’t released yet, so tell me if you want me to release those!

Disclaimer: This is in no way hating on Shannon’s series, I just wanna see where the story would go if we took a slightly different approach!

Warnings: I didn’t edit this at all-

Word count: 2868

Tag list:  @everyonehasthoughts @imaramennoodle @bookwyrminspiration @holesinmyfalseconfidence @percabetn @an-absolute-travesty @linhammon-roll-bromance101 @linhamon-roll @holesinmyfalseconfidence @linhamon2 @a-lonely-tatertot @loverofallthingssmart

Let me know if you want to be added or if I forgot to tag you!

“Uh, no boys, she’s sitting with me.”

Jensi raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with her sitting here, Marella?”

“Nothing! I just need to pull her to the side for some girl talk.” Marella pulled Sophie’s sleeve, navigating across the cafeteria to an empty booth in the corner. Sitting down and adjusting herself, she extended a hand. “Marella Redek. No nicknames. I know the ins and outs of everything around here.”

“Sophie Foster,” Sophie introduced, shaking her hand, though her response came out as a murmur. She brushed her hair out of her face, trying to shrink as small as possible. “But I’m sure you knew that.”

Marella nodded. “You must’ve caused the Council a lot of trouble if you’ve gotten your way into Level Two right after being with humans. What was it like, by the way?”

“Pretty normal, I guess. Well, not for me, I was a highschool senior at 12, and my parents wanted me to attend community college instead of an Ivy League. Even the newspapers were talking about it, and that ticked my parents off big time.”

“What?”

“I know, crazy, right?” Sophie started digging into her lunch. “Why would the news choose a story about a child over actual breaking news?”

“No, I meant those words you used. A high school, college, a new paper? What do they mean?”

“Oh, that’s right! Those are more human terms, sorry,” Sophie apologized. “There are levels of human school: Preschool, which is usually ages 1 to 4, elementary school is from ages 5 to 10, middle school is ages 11 to 13, high school is ages 14 to 17, and college is at least four years, and gives you the certification you need to get a good paying job. Newspapers are just mini books made completely of paper that tell you what’s going on in the world.”

“Oh,” Marella said, looking off into the distance. “I guess I never really thought that human school would be so different from Foxfire. We just have these levels, and then the elite levels. What was your human family like?”

Sophie tugged out an eyelash, which didn’t go unnoticed on Marella’s end. “U-um-“

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be pushing you so much on your first day. I should be helping you adjust.” She toyed with her food. “So, how’s our world been for you so far?”

“A little overwhelming,” Sophie admitted. “I don’t feel half as glamorous as anything around me. We don’t exactly have crystal houses and fancy ball gowns in San Diego.”

“You don’t?” Marella shook her head vigorously. “Right. Sorry. Let’s get back on track. Anything you think you’ll need to know that I can help you with?”

Sophie clutched her knees, now rolled up into a ball. This Marella girl was a bit intense at first, but maybe she wasn’t so bad. After all, she had saved her from sitting with some yes-boys. The declared leader of them seemed friendly, but a little too hyper. No, she decided, Marella wasn’t half bad. “I don’t know. Anything really, you know best.”

“Alright, then. This place is sort of a maze, try to find someone with a similar schedule to you so you can walk together until you know your way around. You know Stina Heks?”

Sophie shivered and nodded, thinking back to seeing her raging through the halls screaming about someone making her bald. She could’ve sworn she heard her say “Disney,” too.

“Stay away from her. Stereotypical bully, not afraid of fighting dirty. The Vackers, Keefe Sencen, and their little bubble are all the buzz. They’re pretty nice, and Sencen’s a bit of a flirt, but if you don’t like attention, maybe steer clear from them.”

Sophie let out a bitter laugh. “Easier said than done. The Vackers are the ones who found me. Fitz brought me here, Alden sent him out to find me, and Della helped me get ready for Foxfire.” Sophie paused to pull out another eyelash. “I don’t think Biana likes me much.

Marella’s eyes widened in shock as she leaned back and blew out a breath.

“Is that bad?” Sophie was panicking a bit now. What had she screwed up now?

“Well, it’s not good for your social status, that’s for sure.” Marella started slicing her food, which resembled Jello. “If you’re on her bad side, you’ll want to stay away from Maruca, too. They’re best friends.”

“Great,” Sophie sighed. One day in and she already had a long list of people to avoid. “Anything else I should know about?”

“Oh, yeah, but I’ll stick to school stuff. Your most difficult subjects are gonna be Elementalism and Alchemy.”

“I can help with that,” a boy called, sliding next to Sophie in the booth and placing his tray down. “Dex Dizznee, by the way.”

“Sophie Foster.” She grinned a bit. Edaline had gone without her to the apothecary and mentioned the “Disneys.” This must’ve been who Stina was shouting at. “I saw what you did to Stina earlier. Wicked move.”

“Finally, someone understands the genius! She deserved it, too, after what a pain she was last year. That’s where the alchemy comes in handy.”

Marella rolled her eyes, and Dex leaned back casually. “Don’t act like you don’t think she deserved it Marella. You know she did.”

“Ok, it was kind of satisfying seeing her run around like that-“

“Yes!”

“-but don’t take it as a sign that I’ll join in. I have a reputation to protect.”

Dex snorted. “Yeah, as the gossip girl.”

“I don’t gossip, I have connections,” she corrected.

“Whatever you say madam,” Dex relented jokingly. “What about you, Soph? Got anything you could build a reputation for?”

“Not really,” she expressed. “I don’t want the spotlight. I just want to make it by here.”

Marella took a bite of her lunch and scoffed. “Good luck with that.”

“Tell you what, my next class is Multispecesial Studies, I can walk you to Alchemy,” Dex offered.

“Really? That would be great, thank you!”

“No problem. It’s hard making it by for people like us.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Marella chugged down her lushberry juice.

“We’re different, special.”

“So, outcasts?” Sophie rested her head in her hand and stirred her drink nonchalantly, taking in the view of the cafeteria. It was remarkably pristine and clean, its white walls with blue accents not showing a hint of grime. With the barstools at tables all around the center and the booths to the side, it looked like every diner’s dream.

“No, not outcasts. Think more sideline supporters.”

“So, advocates,” Sophie helped. “I don’t really see that, but maybe one day. Right now I just want to pass.”

“Well you can’t do that on an empty stomach,” Marella chided playfully. “Eat up. Lady Galvin is a stickler for accuracy.”

————

Fantastic. Sophie had only been there one day and she had already ruined her Alchemy teacher’s favorite cloak. Marella was right, Alchemy was tough. She’d have to take Dex up on his offer. She wandered through the halls, trying to find the way to her next class, P.E. She strolled like this for a few more minutes before a snobby voice called to her from down the hall.

“Lost, new kid?”

Sophie winced. Great. The number one person on her People To Avoid list had already found a way into her world. She attempted to speed walk, but the clacking of leveled boots followed quickly, and she was spun around with a harsh push.

Stina laughed, and for a 12 year old elven child, it sounded quite maniacal. “Why so frightened? I don’t bite. Much.”

Somehow Sophie sincerely doubted that. There had to be some fangs behind that evil smirk. But maybe she could play it cool with this demon in disguise.

“I’m not frightened, just lost. Do you think you could point me to P.E.? I don’t want to be late on my first day.” Sophie held her breath, hoping she came off as casual.

“My pleasure,” Stina grinned a sickeningly sweet smile. “In fact, I’ll walk you there. Wouldn’t want our newest prodigy to miss class because of some weak instructions, now would we?”

“No, of course not.”

Stina linked their arms, acting as if they were old pals going on a walk in the park to catch up. It was silent except for the shuffling of their shoes, so Sophie made sure she was hyper aware of her surroundings, trying to memorize the numbers on each locker and how they connected to the twisting, winding paths of the school.

At this point, she was sure Stina planned to do something crazy to her, like stuff her in a locker or hide her body, so she had to think fast. Luckily, this was her specialty.

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry,” Sophie began, stopping abruptly. Stina stumbled a bit, but regained her composure in seconds. “I forgot something at my locker! Oh, I’m so sorry, but Edaline told me I’d need what was in my locker. You go ahead, I shouldn’t keep you from your class! Don’t worry, I’ll find my way to Phys Ed.”

Sophie speed walked away, leaving Stina in the dust. Once she rounded the corner, she took off, speeding through corridors and halls until she ran out of breath. Giving up, she rested her head against the wall, trying to clear her head when she was forced to her feet and slammed into a locker. There was a click, and through the slits, Sophie could see Stina’s eyes crinkled in smugness and satisfaction. Yet through all of this, the only thing Sophie was thinking of was, That was pretty lame on a scale of bullying-ness.

“Good luck getting out of there, Foster,” she remarked. “Now, you get comfortable, I have some business to attend to.”

“Gonna go sharpen your claws?” Sophie snapped.

“No, newbie, I��m going to put the princess of Everglen in her place. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you updated!”

And with that, Stina clacked away, her footsteps receding and the silence finding its way to creep back in.

________

Sophie had no way of telling time. This she had learned when she realized she had in fact left something in her locker: her Imparter and the Ruewen crest. She let out an audible groan of frustration, and tried to occupy herself with her temporary home. There were books about unicorn breeding on the shelf above her, to which Sophie wrinkled her nose. Next, there was a box of animal pins, glittering and shiny, and she was very tempted to stuff a few in her pocket, but she restrained herself. She took to examining the pictures on the door with what little light she had and realized, to her disdain, that this was Stina’s locker.

Sophie shivered in disgust and tried patting herself out and getting the Stina vibes off of her.

“Well, if I’m going to be stuck here, I might as well take advantage of it,” she decided. Sophie put all of her energy into memorizing the photo album beside her, and wound up with some lovely photos of baby Stina, along with some other cherished memories. She was scanning through Stina’s diary and chuckling to herself at her inevitable revenge when yelling came from around the corner. Sophie dropped the journal and shuffled forward a bit, peering through the slits. This could be her saving.

“MESS WITH BIANA ONE MORE TIME-” Maruca had her pinned to the wall and looked ready to murder her, but Stina remained unfazed.

“Relax, duchess, you might be the heir soon,” Stina responded coolly.

That was the breaking point. Maruca opened her locker, which was, unfortunately, next to the one Sophie was trapped in, and slammed it shut.

“Maruca!” Sophie yelled, but Stina rattled in her locker, and shouted curses over her, both to insult Maruca and to put an end to Sophie’s escape plan.

Maruca was quick to exit, and soon enough it was just Stina and Sophie, trapped in their lockers, trying to determine the other person’s next move.

“Do you happen to know how to break down locker doors?” Stina commented dryly.

“Would I still be here if I did?”

“Fair.”

“You got a hairpin?” Sophie asked. “Or some thin piece of metal you can slide in between the crack of our lockers? I might be able to break out of mine by picking the lock.”

“And what about me? Gonna leave me here to rot while you run free?” She harrumphed. “I don’t think so. If I’m suffering you suffer with me.”

“I’ll get you out too, just answer the question and slide the metal through the crack.”

Stina huffed, but Sophie heard the sound of metal on metal scratch as something hit her foot. “My family crest. Do not scratch it.”

“You got it.” Sophie used her fingernails to get a little bit of extra room before sliding the crest through the door. She maneuvered it a bit, and the door let out a click as it swung open. Sophie fell forward face first, but sat up and whooped in victory.

Stina cleared her throat. “I’m still here.”

“Oh, I know,” Sophie poked smugly. “But if I’m going to break you outta there, you’re going to owe me a favor.”

“I do NOT-“

“Fine, then stay there. And spend all day, heck, maybe even until tomorrow, stuck in that cramped locker with no food or water whatsoever.” Sophie began to stroll away slowly, biding for time just in case Stina changed her mind about the offer.

“Fine,” she grumbled. “Just get me out.”

Sophie cheered to herself silently and crouched down in front of the locker and got to work. Stina was peering through the slits in the locker, and for a moment they felt each other’s breath on their faces and they met eyes before glaring at each other and backing up a bit. The door swung open, and Stina came crashing down onto Sophie.

Stina pushed herself off of her quickly, seeming very flustered. She reached out a hand to Sophie, which she took. Stina shook Sophie’s hand off of hers.

“I need my family crest,” she said, looking off to the side uncomfortably.

“Oh,” Sophie frowned, unsure why she felt a little disappointed. Probably because my back hurts and I was just refused the little she could have given as thanks, she thought. “Right. Take it.”

Stina’s fingers brushed against Sophie’s as she took it back and pinned it onto her cloak once more. “Well.” Stina lifted her nose upon in the air, regaining her haughty facade. “Until we meet again, Foster.”

“Yeah, Sophie nodded, getting back to her feet. Once Stina was out of earshot, she muttered, “Hopefully that’s never.”

Sophie dusted herself off, finally registering her circumstances. She was late for class, and she looked disheveled. Stina had just walked off, leaving her lost, confused, and just waiting for a punishment of her lifetime. Sighing, she walked along the edges of a pyramid.

“Ms. Foster,” a cold voice crowed from behind her.

Sophie recognized that voice. Dame Alina. “Yes, ma’am?”

“Is there a particular reason that you’re not in class right now?”

“Uh-“

“Incoming!” a boy screamed from the top of his lungs, a bunch of verminions on his tail. Alina shrieked and ran into a neighboring hall for shelter. Sophie took this as an opportunity to find her way out of this maze and escape Alina’s grasp. She followed the boy until they reached the Healing Center, where he hid until the verminions passed by. Sophie stopped. She could go in and ask whatever medic was present for directions, but the thought of going anywhere near a doctor made her sick to the stomach.

“Can I help you, new girl?”

Sophie jumped. The boy she had been following was right in front of her, and she instinctively slunk back.

“Chill, I won’t hurt you. The name’s Keefe, but you can call me-“

“Sorry Keefe, but I’m really late for class, do you know where P.E. Is?”

He furrowed his eyebrows and massaged his neck, looking a bit hurt. “Uh, yeah, take a left after the next three halls.”

“Thank you!” Sophie bolted to class and arrived there out of breath.

“Sophie! Just in time for us to start splotching,” Dex waved her over. “It’s easy, you just use your telekinesis to move this marble into the other person. If you succeed, it bursts and you get a paint splotch on you.”

“Great,” she muttered. “You won’t believe what I’ve just gone through.”

“Tell me at the end of class. We’re gonna need all of our focus for this.”

“Alright,” she sighed. She couldn’t be upset, seeing Dex that excited lifted her mood just a bit. And that was just the boost she needed.

________

This was it. It was down to her and Fitz for the Splotching Champion title. Sophie gathered her concentration. She could not mess this up.

The splotcher was thrown in between them, and Sophie gave it her all. The marble exploded with a loud boom, and they were both thrown into opposite sides of the room. Sophie saw nothing but the green paint, and then darkness.