Flora’s Guide to a Second Chance at Love and Life

Fiona couldn't be bothered with Jane and just kept walking ahead, lost in her own world.

It took Jane a moment to catch up, and when she did, she grabbed Fiona's arm, blurting out, "You haven't even been with Mr. Jackson, so how do you know if he's... you know, lacking? Are you just guessing?"

Jane was a bit taken aback, staring at Fiona in disbelief. "That's not cool, you know? I'm not bringing you any more of those remedies tomorrow. I can't be held accountable if something goes wrong."

As they chatted, they made their way into the classroom and settled into their seats. Fiona, as was her habit, laid her head down on the desk for a nap. She was still tired from the night before when Jackson had bailed on her, leaving her feeling even more drained.

A few seats away, Jane was casually applying lipstick. She turned to see Fiona already asleep and couldn't resist sneaking a few photos of her snoozing with her phone.

"Did you catch the news? Tons of people from the Larkin family died yesterday."

"Really? Spill the details!"

"I got the scoop. It's all over the news-apparently, they died under some shady circumstances. Who buys that the whole Larkin clan just up and died out of the blue?"noveldrama

"Exactly! It sounds like revenge to me. How else do that many people just drop dead? And Albert's been silent, and the place is swarming with cops. It's creepy."

"Breaking news: the police who went to the Larkin place also died mysteriously, five hours later. Just saw it on the news."

Jane's phone slipped from her hand as she got caught up in the buzz around her. The Larkin family? So many deaths?

She quickly pulled up the news on her phone, confirming the grim reports. The coroner noted that all the victims were missing their organs and they hadn't eaten. anything suspicious prior. How

could their organs just vanish into thin air?

Scrolling through the news photos, Jane couldn't spot Josie. With shaky fingers, she opened a chat window, hesitating. Despite Josie's attempt on her life at the party, she couldn't bring herself to be heartless.

She typed messages, then deleted them, over and over.

Even with the seemingly unbridgeable gap between them, she didn't want Josie to die.

"If you want to find her, then just go," came Fiona's clear, detached voice from behind.

Jane jerked her head up, surprised to see Fiona right there. Her eyes were as usual, but something about her seemed more intimidating today.

Clutching her phone, Jane told Fiona, "I'm not going."

Fiona shrugged it off, heading back to her seat as if Jane hadn't spoken. Jane clung to Fiona's sleeve. "Before this news, Josie had already moved against the Kidd family. At the party, she didn't care about my safety. Afterwards, she still ignored my family's plight. Even if she dies, it's got nothing to do with me."

Fiona turned back, her voice calm. "Do what you want."

She wasn't about to meddle in someone else's choices.

Those earlier conversations had been so loud, they kept her from sleeping. When she noticed Jane trying to shap photos of her, she cameover to check things out. She hadn't expected the Larkin family's deaths to happen so much later than she'd thought.