[VI. The Emma Saga] Dignity Disrupted

Hazleville was a sleepy town with little going on – as long as you ignored the deviant girl in the mansion. Jessica chose a small café downtown to meet her contact. Emma was a former gymnast and one of her former friends. The two had grown apart over the years, as one failed to become a professional athlete, and the other graduated law school with flying colors. They’d met each other occasionally, but the warmth had gone.

“Oh, hey.” Jessica rose from the booth to give Emma a cold hug.

Emma may have left her glory days behind but still looked the part—long, flowing blond hair, wiry, and mostly muscle. But Jessica hadn’t called her here to talk about the past. She’d called her here to offer money.

Jessica endured the small talk over coffee until she could get to the heart of the matter: Roxanne.

“My sister –”

“I know.”

“It’s no big secret.” Emma shrugged. ‘The Punk Princess.”

Jessica’s mouth became a thin line. She didn’t like that Roxanne had developed some notoriety around town. Not that it was a surprise. This result was inevitable when she started challenging people to take her on in the mansion.

“You’ve seen the website?”

“No, and I don’t want to, either. Is that what you called me here about?”

“Kind of.” Jessica tried her best to look awkward, but inside, she was seething. Her well-planned introduction went down the drain. “Are you mad?”

“No. I was thinking about trying it.”

“What? Why?”

“The money.”

“Money? What money?”

“$20,000 if anyone can beat her. Didn’t you know about that? My job barely covers my rent. $20,000 could get me out of this town. But… it’s still your sister. I don’t want to beat up your family.”

Jessica could have shouted with joy. “No, no, that’s what I was going to ask you about. Roxy needs to learn a lesson. She’s out of control. And if this goes on, she’s going to tear our family apart. You understand, right?”

“I just want the money, Jess.”

“Then, let me tell you everything you need to know.”