Alone ✧ KATE BISHOP

2 - Strange Encounters

THE NEXT DAY WAS JASPER'S DAY OFF FROM WORK. However, she couldn't spend it at her apartment watching Fresh Prince and eating ice cream like she wanted. She had a prior commitment.

When she wasn't working, she had to go go school. 

Hawthorne College wasn't the school Jasper had initially wanted to go to. Her plan before the Blip was to go to Sacred Heart Academy of Fine Arts (nicknamed SHAFA by the students) with all her friends. But when the Blip happened, and her friends came back, they told her that their plans had changed. Crushed and heartbroken, she'd decided to go to Hawthorne instead, and had remained there despite the many, many times she felt like she didn't belong. 

Thankfully, Jasper's first class didn't start until 9am, so she had some time to sleep in and eat a good breakfast before she had to leave. So, after showering and changing into a Straight Outta Compton T-shirt and camo shorts, she went into her kitchen and poured herself a bowl of cereal before turning on her laptop and placing it on the counter. Then, she began typing, working on a report for her dad between bites of cereal. 

Jasper didn't like bringing her work home, but this report was important. Her dad had given it to her the day before right as she was clocking out, saying that it was a list of all of Aurarius' clients, and that he needed them sorted between the new and existing ones and returned to him ASAP. Jasper knew better than anyone how her dad got when things weren't given to him on time, so she decided to work on it now before she ran out of time. 

Going through the data, Jasper began sorting the list of new and existing clients. Most of the new clients she recognized - they were all high-level businesses that would definitely need her father's tech. However, she then frowned when she saw a name she didn't recognize: Fat Man Auto Repair. That was strange; why would a simple auto repair shop hire her dad's company? Markus never associated himself with lowly businesses such as this one - in his eyes, they were beneath him. So what made this one different? 

Jasper frowned even further after researching the business, seeing that it was a run-down business hidden in some sort of strip mall. This was definitely the last kind of business her dad would agree to work for. But here he was, working for this repair shop, and from the looks of it, they had paid him a lot of money. 

Jasper shook her head, deciding not to worry too much about it. The clients her dad took on was his business, not hers. 

Suddenly, there was a knock on Jasper's door. She frowned again, perking up at the sound. Cleo wasn't supposed to be visiting until after school, and Jasper rarely ever got visitors. So who was at the door? 

Jasper closed her laptop and walked over to the door before opening it. There, standing in the hall, was a woman, maybe in her mid-forties, wearing a long black trenchcoat and dark sunglasses. But the most noticeable feature on the woman was the dark violet streak in her jet black hair, which was pulled up into a tight bun. 

"Uh, can I help you?" Jasper asked in confusion. 

"That depends," the woman replied. "Are you Jasper Trenasha Bradley-Owens?" 

Jasper frowned further. "Yes, but how do you know my full name?" 

The woman smirked. "I know a lot of things, hon. Now are you gonna let me in? My feet are killing me." 

Jasper still didn't budge. "Who are you?" 

"Valentina Allegra de Fontaine," the woman said, taking off her sunglasses. "Actually, it's Contessa Valentina Allegra de-" She shook her head, cutting herself off. "Not important. You can call me Val. But in your head, not out loud. I don't like hearing it." She smiled. "Now be a good girl and let me in already."