The trauma of Alyssa giving her evidence and witness testimonies had wrecked her mental health. She began experiencing flashbacks of prior bad memories, and these flashbacks triggered her anxiety. It took Alyssa to her limits to avoid spiraling out of control, but she barely managed to hold herself together without screaming in hysterics. Then she remembered she smoked and her cigarettes were always handy to calm her down.
She grabbed her cigarettes and lighter in her elegant purse, then strolled outside to the ashtray to light up. The first puff was a much-needed relaxant for her—a sense of calm entered her craving self. All she needed was her smokes. While the nicotine relaxed her brain, the tar and chemicals made her lungs feel good, however unhealthy they were.
Of course, Alyssa couldn't foresee the future. But that contained lessons in itself—one of them being to not fear the uncertain. Obviously, things will be uncertain in life—what we can control is what to focus on. One thing she could control was being scared too much about her health—thus she thought of buying a leather case for her cigarettes. She could simply scrub the warnings on the pack and then place the pack in the leather case. This would keep her cigarettes fresh, dry, and tasty—all she needed was her lighter for some minutes of whole-body treats.
To improve her organization, she decided to force herself to write down the shopping list in her diary. As she was writing down her shopping list, she wondered—why not update her diary as well?
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Alyssa's Diary, 18th October 2010
I have to shop for some things, e.g., a leather case to put my pack of cigarettes in. I hate looking at these warnings; I just want to enjoy smoking up to a pack a day in peace! Besides, I should buy a physical timer to signal the start of my Pomodoros!
Anyways, the traumas are gone now. I managed to stand up for myself and deliver the witness testimonies. Now it is up to them if they report.
I know I have to help myself. I also know Lucas Jones is a bedrock of support in trying times. Even if he doesn't usually smoke, which I understand not everyone wants to take the health risks, he defends my vice.
To avoid having my remarks taken out of context, I need to rehearse them again and again. While it is tedious, the fear of being cancelled arouses me into action.
In Alyssa I Trust!
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She hurriedly walked into the shopping mall to buy her stuff, hoping she would be in time to prepare her statements. However, by the time Alyssa arrived in the tobacco shop, she could look at the mall TV reporting the stuff that Alyssa shared with the reporters to report. Her hopes were defeated—what if she was found? Would people hassle her?
Undeterred by these fears, she went into the tobacco shop to buy her cigarette case. After that, she strolled to a clock shop to buy a physical timer for her modified Pomodoro method. After a couple of sessions, she could enjoy a smoke or even smoke with a holder.
She shopped quicker than ever before, desperate to avoid being bamboozled by paparazzi. It was as if a humanoid robot calculated the fastest route to shop both things. Despite that, one potential papparazi appeared in Alyssa's peripheral vision. She immediately turned and pretended nothing was up.
But it was too late—the paparazzi had arrived and were harassing Alyssa. They were from the same news channel Alyssa reported her stuff to.
The guy introduced himself as Michael from the (NEWS channel). He asked Alyssa what had really happened and what was the Pluh Cult. These questions were surprisingly normal, Alyssa thought. She still knew she had to be careful.
"The Pluh Cult is a cult of perfectionism. It claims that people cannot be good if they have any sins. This is far from reality - many people can be good even if they have sins. Even the Catholics believe a person is washed from all their sins when they are baptized. It shows just how ridiculous their ideology is." she answered.
"The Pluh Cult suddenly attacked some of my supporters. They believed people can have their sins while still being good. I frantically ran to defend them and fought back, then called the cops."
The paparazzi then asked some critical questions, for example, "I have heard rumors you smoke heavily. Do you?" and also "It seems you had various behavior issues; there are rumors of it. Are they true?"
She was conflicted about whether to lie to save her reputation or fight for her values and reveal the truth even if haters would say weird things to her. Time was ticking, and the pressure got to her.
"Yes, I smoke up to a pack a day, and I love it," said Alyssa. Before the paparazzi could react with shock, Alyssa pulled her cigarettes from her leather case and her lighter from her pocket, then lit up. Then, she puffed on her cigarette, exhaling in joy.
"Just what I needed! I cover up those pesky warnings—they won't bother me. I simply enjoy the experience," said Alyssa in a calmed-down voice. "Up to twenty times a day, up to two hours a day, these tasty cigarettes satisfy me in many ways! From the decent nicotine rush, to the coating of my lungs from the tar telling me this cigarette is strong and satisfying, I am assured I am enjoying every cigarette".
The paparazzi's face betrayed horror, in spite of his attempts to keep a straight face. "You do realize tobacco kills half of its long term users?" You do realize you cannot buy tobacco under 18?"
"Yes, I do. I have my ways. I have supporters who defend my freedom and my ideology. I know my smoking is not healthy, but I have doctors to monitor my health. Also, what beats the pleasure from 20 cigarettes a day? It's like a treat I get to have all day, and not just a treat for the mouth, but a treat to soothe my lungs as well! A pack a day keeps the pleasure all day! I don't think about the health risks too much, I prefer my sticks of enjoyment."
The paparazzi couldn't say anything. But he decided to go to the newspaper to report this.
Alyssa tried running away. It did work - for a night.
But the next morning the local newspaper were all reporting her story. There were news comments saying that Alyssa's parents are child abusers and that the Pluh Cult was great. At least some people defended Alyssa's smoking, though not many.
Boy, this was much messier than expected...
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Alyssa's Sins
General FictionIn a world demanding perfection, only daughter Alyssa may be great in many areas, but she has some sins which are difficult for society to accept. Despite that, her idealistic, warm father does defend her character and accept her for who she is. He...
