Expectations When Expecting

Book 1, Chapter 3

The group stood before a mirror decorated with cards, roses and hearts. Yuu studied it for a moment as she tried to shake off the feeling of familiarity.

"... You want me... to go through there?" She asked, nervous. How the heck am I supposed to go through a mirror?! Her mind raced, imagining the feeling of being tossed around.

She almost jumped when a haned found her shoulder, smacking it hard enough to sting. "Scared?" Ace teased, eyes glinting. The young woman glared at the ginger, rubbing the slap, deciding not to get angry and satisfy Ace. "Nope! You?" She responded in a sing-song tone.

Ace scrambled back, unnerved at her smile. "Hell no!" Ace said. "There's no way I'd be scared."

Yuu felt a small weight against her knee as Grim stood, his forepaws against her knees. "Henchman! Let's goooo!" Grim whined, his tail flicking in agitation. "I wanna seeeeee." Yuu raised an eyebrow. He's like a toddler...

"GUYS!" Deuce called, startling everyone out of their chaos. "Let's go! I don't wanna be late."

Yuu paused before nodding. "Yeah, alright."

The group pushed Ace in first, allowing Yuu to make a reference that she was certain that no one would get.

"Ace? Are you dead?" She called through the mirror.

"No, I'm not dead! Get over here!" He called to them, making her laugh.

"Let's go then!" Grim stated, marching in.

Yuu allowed herself to step through the mirror, eyes shut before being surprised at the cool, late summer breeze that caressed her face. The sweet smell of roses wafted to her nose. It wasn't strong, and it surprisingly didn't make her feel sick.

She opened her eyes when she felt the weight of a certain cat as he crawled up to her shoulders.

"Dang, this place is swank!" His tail brushed past her back. "This is nothing like our dumpster of a dorm." He remarked as Yuu opened her eyes, only to be taken aback.

"Hey! Our dorm's a work-in-progress... Woah." Was all she mustered, gawking at the beautiful crimson flowers that decorated the charming dorm.

She walked over, studying the designs, all seemingly keeping with the theme of cards and roses. She reached her hand over to a rose, being gentle in touching its delicate petal. Yuu was mesmerized by the beauty of the dorm, embracing the warm atmosphere before the voice of Ace seemed to shake her out of her trance.

"Yo! Get you but over here!" He called her, earning himself an eye roll.

"I'm coming! Geez! Heaven forbid I wanna look at the flowers!"

Deuce smiled at her. "They're pretty, aren't they?" He asked as she gave him a nod, walking toward the maze.

"Definitely. My grandma used to have a garden like this, but she kept marigolds instead." She recalled. "I loved that garden."

Deuce nodded, walking beside her as Grim hopped off of her shoulders to explore a bit on his own. "That's cool. Do you like flowers, Yuu?"

"A bit. I like drawing them, but keeping them is a different story." She stated, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Totally feel that. I-" Deuce began, cutting himself short as a voice was heard, rhythmic and trendy as it sang.

"Aww yeah, I am getting my paint on!" Yuu looked over, noticing Grim stand on his hind legs, gesturing toward the direction of the voice.

"Hey henchman! Look! Someone's here."

"I can tell." She responded, reaching her chaotic partner.

"They all gotta be red, or it's 'off with my head'!" The voice, revealed to belong to another ginger haired boy sang, a clear attempt to destress as he rushed about being made. Beneath his right eye, a painted red diamond decorated his face, which was framed by his long, orange hair.