Snippets and Sneak Peeks (Chapter 4) Pt.1 (Patreon)

Hey guys! Here with a sneak peek at what I've been writing so far this past week 😄 This time, we'll take a look at a part of the long conversation that MC will have with Yvette.

Because there are so many different variations of paragraphs depending on a lot of variables, for this snippet, I'm going to assume MC chose to hate her after that comic book incident, and for their current feeling for her now, I would showcase the love-hate one 😁 Let me know what you guys think about it!

* * * * *

She doesn't look that much different from the last time you saw her a decade ago. Sure there are some wrinkles starting to form at the corners of her pretty light brown eyes. But other than that, her ${mc_skin} skin is still as radiant and unblemished as ever. The magic of an expensive skincare routine, you guess. Hell, not even a strand of white can be seen in the midnight black of her thick and long ${mc_hair_texture} hair.

She wrings her dainty hands nervously. "Um… Hi, $!{name}," she says nervously.

*if (Friendly >= 50)
"Please get out before I call the guards," you say calmly, but the tone of your voice is firm as you gesture at the front door.

*if (Friendly < 50)
"Get the fuck out before I call the guards," you snap at her, pointing at the front door.

"$!{name}… Please, just hear me out—"

"No. Get out now." You are halfway toward the front door when she grabs your arm.

"I know you hate me, but please, just hear me out for a few minutes. It's about the murders and your father's killer," she pleads, her voice laced with desperation.

You already know that there's a big chance that the voice last night is the same person as the person who murdered your dad ten years ago. If not, then at least they are connected. But maybe… there's no downside to hearing what she has to say, in case she has some more information from the Agency's private investigation—Well, no downside except for having to sit down and have a talk with your estranged mother, if you can even call her that.

"Fine," you sigh, tugging your arm out of her grip. "Go ahead and take a seat. I gotta make my ${drink}." You return to the kitchen, grab a mug, and insert a ${drink} pod into the machine.

You turn around and lean on the counter as you wait for the drink to finish brewing. Your eyes snap to your mother who is sitting primly on one of the plush, leather sofas, staring wistfully out of the big panoramic window to her left. You take this time to recover from the surprise and reorganize your thoughts and feelings properly; she is probably doing a similar thing right now.

The last time you saw her was during your dad's funeral. At that time, you were still steeped in your hate for her. The wound from what she did in the comic book store that day was still raw, especially after the death of your dad on that very same day.

Nowadays, though… What do you mostly feel about her?

#Still hate.

#Pity.

#Indifference.

#A strange and complicated mix of hate and…yearning?

You used to hate her a lot, and you think you still do. But it's not that simple; you don't think anything ever is. Sometimes, you find yourself yearning for her affection and the connection, and mourning what could've been. This, in turn, feeds more fuel to your anger and hatred towards her. And so on it cycles repeatedly like an emotionally torturous merry-go-round.

When the voice did an exposé on your mother live on broadcast and threatened her, you feel a strange mix of anger and…protectiveness? Sure, you hate your mother for everything she has done, but seeing an outsider, especially the one who took your father from you, trying to butt in and criticize how she treated you just made you seethe.

Only you and your family can do that, genuinely hating and criticizing her. The hatred and criticism that the voice and the Nemesis Project conveyed that night was nothing more but a performance to gain the sympathy and approval of the public.

Beep-beep…

The sound of the coffee machine beeping brings you out of your reverie. Grabbing your mug of freshly brewed ${drink}, you take a sip while sauntering over to the living room where your mother is waiting. You plop down onto the big armchair to her left, the view of Elysium's downtown becoming your backdrop.

"So, talk. What do you want from me?" you ask straight to the point.

She squirms uncomfortably under your gaze. "$!{name}… I'm not going to lie, I desperately need your help," she says, her brown eyes meeting your ${mc_eyes}.

IF MC IS SARCASTIC

*if (Emotional >= 50)
You stare at her, before bursting out laughing, stabilizing the mug in one hand to make sure your ${drink} doesn't spill. Your laughter dies down and you see that she's frowning in a mix of sadness and confusion. "You're serious?" you ask her.

*if (Emotional < 50)
You stare at her before you start chuckling, quietly at first and getting louder until it is only a notch from full-on laughter. Your chuckles die down and you see that she's frowning in a mix of sadness and confusion. "You're serious?" you ask her.

"Unfortunately, yes…" she sighs, hanging her head in shame.

You scoff, "What's wrong? The ECPD not working hard enough? Surely, a company as big as the Constellation Agency has enough influence and connections to make sure the ECPD is solely focused on this case. You don't need my help." You can't help but spit the last sentence.

IF MC IS GENUINE

*if (Emotional >= 50)
"Why?" you ask. A mix of anger, confusion, and incredulousness is packed into the single word. "You do realize that you have the biggest company in the city and the ECPD backing you and focusing on the case, right? You don't need my help." You can't help but spit the last sentence.

*if (Emotional < 50)
"Why?" You try to keep your voice even and cool, but still, hints of anger, confusion, and incredulousness mar it. "You have the biggest company in the city and the ECPD backing you and focusing on the case. You don't need my help." You can't help but spit the last sentence.

Does she really think that you'll be open and willing to help her? Well, actually… maybe you will. Sure you hate her, but you also feel a strange and illogical sense of loyalty and attachment to her that makes you want to protect her from the killer who has also taken your father from you before.

Why? You should not even care this much about her. Is it because she gave birth to you and is supposed to be your mother? Or maybe she's one of the few family members you have left and you can't help but cling on to each of them greedily, even if it sometimes hurt you, like holding on to stalks of wild roses.

She shakes her head. "They tried… They really tried. The Agency even hired a bunch of private investigators on the side, but one of them was killed and two of them went missing and haven't been heard from ever since. The remaining quickly backed out."

"How about the ECPD?" you ask, setting down your ${drink} on the coffee table before you.

"Nothing either; they haven't been able to grasp something solid enough to follow. The pressure from the Agency and the fact that this is a still-ongoing serial killing of high-profile figures that a lot of the citizens look up to are the only reasons it has not become a cold case," she sighs. "Whoever or whatever group is doing this knows what they're doing and how to cover their tracks."

You remember how your dad's killer covered their tracks cleanly and carefully, even to the point of getting rid of all the other surviving grunts so there was nothing for your family to go on from. And then there's also what happened to Aunt Cara… You wonder whether she was coming too close to finding out the truth. Or maybe she had found out.

*if (Emotional >= 50)
"And this is my problem how?" you sneer, crossing your arms. "I couldn't give less of a fuck about the Constellation Agency's superhero mess."

*if (Emotional < 50)
You shrug. "Sounds like their problem… and yours," you say coldly, staring her down. "I couldn't give less of a fuck about the Constellation Agency's superhero mess."

"I know, $!{name}… Don't worry, I don't really want you to put yourself in danger. I just need you to use your family's web of connections to help find this killer. Please, it's not really a matter of the Agency needing your help. I need your help, desperately. I feel like I'm living on borrowed time…" Her beautiful and smooth face is marred by the hard frown on her face as she shifts restlessly on the sofa, clearly agitated and anxious. She wrings her empty hands nervously before forcing them back onto her lap.

"Oh, now you come to me and acknowledge me because your life is in danger and you need access to my family's resources." You can't help but snarl as all the hatred, anger, and most importantly, the pain you've had all these years bubble up to the surface.

How many times have you pictured what your reunion with your mother would be like? But as time went by with not a visit or even a word from her, those pictures began to sour more and more until you were pretty sure it wouldn't ever happen anyway.

But never have you imagined your reunion to go this way.

"I know we'll have to talk openly about… all of this," she mumbles quietly. Of course, the two of you need to have a discussion about it! Did she really think she can just sweep it under the rug and you'll agree to help her? "Ask me about anything you want to know and I'll try my best to answer all of them."

There are so many things you want to ask her that you're not sure where to start.