Chapter 4
The sun beamed through the dirty windows, shining on Marie's face. She groaned, rubbing her eyes. Taking a look around at her surroundings, she was greeted with the same dusty and worn-down room she had fallen asleep in. Yep, thinking she would wake up back in her bedroom in New Hampshire was hoping for too much. Sitting up in her bed, she expected to see Grim sound asleep next to her. But much to her surprise, hovering over Grim was the three ghosts they had chased out last night. They were snickering whilst poking and prodding at the sleeping Grim.
"Unnn... munyaaa... Five more minutes..." the monster cat grumbled, lazily swatting his paw in the air.
"Laze about too long and you'll never wake up again." the short ghost chuckled.
"Just like us. Eee heehee!" the chubby ghost added.
Hearing this, Grim's eyes immediately snapped open. Seeing the ghosts hovering above him, he shrieked and scampered over into Marie's arms. His fur was standing on edge and his fangs were bared.
"It's those ghosts again! Marie, we need to chase them out again!" he sneered.
"Oh, no need to act hastily." the tall ghost said with a frown, "We're just having some fun. We don't actually want to kill ya, we just wanted to prank you guys. Please don't blast magic at us again."
Marie's lip pursed with her brows lowered. Telling someone you wanted them to join their ranks of the dead wasn't exactly funny in her mind. But the ghosts do seem to be harmless at the moment, and Crowley did also say they were pranksters. Perhaps their claim was genuine. Alright, maybe it would be safe to hear them out. But if they even dare try to make her a ghost, she was gonna let Grim burn them to a crisp.
"It's okay, you can stand down, Grim." she said as she let the monster cat down and got out of bed.
"Fnyah?! Marie, you can't be serious!" Grim yelled, his paws at his hips.
"Well, they aren't doing anything right now. If we have no reason to chase them out again, I see no harm in letting them stay."
Hearing this, the three ghosts sighed in relief. The short one approached Marie and took his hat off with a smile.
"Oh thank you miss. My name's Walt by the way." he placed back on his hat and gestured to the other two ghosts. "The tall one here is Roy, and chubs here is Iwerks. We've been living here in this dorm for basically all of our ghostly lives. We're just so happy to have some people living here again. It can get awfully lonely with no company."
Walt, Roy, and Iwerks huh. At least now she didn't need to call them the short, tall, and chubby ghosts in her head anymore. The teen girl took note of Grim still angrily glaring at the ghosts. Well, she couldn't completely blame him, they didn't exactly give them the best first impression. Oh well, so long as they don't cause any trouble, maybe the cat will warm up to them. Suddenly, without warning, the bedroom door opened up, revealing Crowley with some clothes folded over on his left arm.
"Good morning, you two. I see you're now properly acquainted with the ghosts now, that's wonderful to see."
"I don't want to be acquainted! Why can't you just make them leave?" Grim complained.
"Same reason I don't make you leave. They stay here in exchange for doing jobs." the headmaster gave his signature smile. "Aren't I generous?" His smile disappeared as he turned to the ghosts " Speaking of which, you three may go ahead and start. Coach Vargas especially requires your assistance this morning."
"Absolutely sir!" Walt said with a salute. The three ghosts turned toward Marie and Grim and tipped their hats. "It was nice meeting you two. Farewell for now!" Without another word, the ghosts flew through the wall.
With the ghosts gone, Crowley handed the clothes that had been hanging on his arm. Letting them fall to their full length, Marie saw it was a male school uniform. Huh, she never really seen one in person before. Usually, she had seen them on kids on their way to private schools, or occasionally on the protagonist of an anime.
"I had brought over a spare school uniform for you to change into. While you are not a student, it was the only clothing I can provide you at this time. I do hope you don't mind wearing men's clothing." the birdman stated.
"Meh, it's fine. I don't mind wearing clothes for guys. Clothes are clothes." the girl answered with the shrug of her shoulders.
"Ah, wonderful! I will speak with Mr. Crewel to provide more clothing for you. He would absolutely love to craft an attire for you." Crowley cleared his throat and clapped his hands together, his gold talons clinking loudly against each other. "Now that's settled, get dressed and come to the kitchen for your morning breakfast. While you eat, I will discuss with you about your work today."
Marie gave a nod of understanding before watching the headmaster leave the room. Not wanting to keep her boss waiting, she started unbuttoning her black dress shirt. She got three buttons undone before noticing Grim was lazily stretched out on the bed, watching her change. Her face flushed red in embarrassment.
"Er Grim, can you cover your eyes?"
The monster cat grumbled, rubbing his paw against his face before replying "I don't see what the big deal is. I mean I'm not really wearing clothes."
"Ugh, Grim, please?"
He rolled his blue eyes with a sigh before covering them up with his paw. Satisfied, Marie changed out of the rest of her clothing and into her set of new ones. She didn't bother with the jacket nor the gray vest, seeing as she wasn't actually a student at the school. Her lips pressed tightly together as she got a good look at her new attire. It seemed Crowley had guessed her measurements pretty good; the black slacks and her white dress shirt were only baggy by a little bit.
"Do I want to ask him if it was a lucky guess or not?" The girl pondered this before shaking her head with a shutter. Nah, she didn't feel like getting creeped out by the answer.
Rolling up her sleeves to her elbows, she said "Alright Grim, let's go."
Grim lowered his paw slightly, allowing his blue eye to take a peek. "Took you long enough, I'm starving!" the cat exclaimed, jumping off the bed.
The girl sighed with the shake of her head. Did that little monster ever think of anything else other than food? Given what she had seen so far, probably not. Running her hand through her sandy blonde hair to straighten it out a bit, she headed to the kitchen with her furry companion.
Entering the dining area, she saw an omelet with garnishing set out on a plate. Ah, it smelt so good. Exactly how was Crowley able to get ahold of such good food? No matter, as long as it tasted good and filled her stomach, she wasn't complaining. The teen took her seat across from the headmaster and immediately dug into her breakfast. Her green eyes widened in delight, the egg and cheese practically melted on her tongue.
Meanwhile Grim was glancing between his plate full of tuna and her omelet with a slight frown.
"Hey Marie, you don't mind sharing some of that right?" the cat asked with a huge smile, slowly inching his paw over to her food.
Noticing this, the girl moved her plate out of his reach. "You have your own food to eat, don't go stealing mine." she scolded with a slight full mouth before shoving another piece of omelet into it.
While not pleased with this answer, Grim merely pout and muttered out a few complaints. But his anger was quickly forgotten, replaced with happiness as the cat started gobbling up his food regardless.
"Ahem, now that you two are settled, I shall discuss the work I wish for you to perform." the headmaster began with his voice stern and commanding. "I would like you both to start by cleaning up the campus. Though seeing as Grim is the only one out of two that can use magic, it would be impossible for the two of you to clean the entire campus as it's too large. So I recommend you both start at Main Street and make your way to the main gate to the library. Understood?"
The two nodded their heads. So clean up, should be simple and if they work together, won't take them too long either.
"Very good. Now, Ms. Anderson, I ask you to please watch Grim closely so he doesn't cause a scene like yesterday."
"Hey, I didn't cause a scene, that was your own fault for not letting the Great Grim in the first place!" the little monster objected.
Crowley groaned, his yellow eyes narrowed. "It is very crucial you do not mess up this task. Can I count on you, Ms. Anderson?"
"Well... he might be a little handful but... yeah. Yeah, I think can make sure Grim stays out of trouble."
The headmaster smiled brightly. "Wonderful! I know you'll both do an amazing job." He pushed back his chair and stood, placing both gloved hands on the table. "Now, I must be off. Remember, you are free to have lunch in the cafeteria and have access to the library. I expect you two will carry out this task with enthusiasm. Now farewell!"
With the flap of his cloak, Crowley left the Ramshackle Dorm at a brisk pace. Marie grunted as she chewed up the last bit of the omelet. She had a lot of responsibilities to live up to on the first day, she couldn't afford to mess up. Grabbing her napkin, she wiped her mouth and got out of her seat.
"Come on, Grim, the sooner we get started, the sooner we can finish."
"Tsk... I don't want to clean." Grim whined before using his paw to scoop up the last bunch of tuna in his mouth. "I wanna go to class and do a bunch of awesome spells." He swallowed and wore a huge grin as he jumped up on the table. "They'd be like bang! Boom boom boom!"
"Look at it this way, Grim," Marie replied, lifting the cat up into her arms, "if we get all the work done quickly, maybe we can go to the library and find some books on magic spells? How's that sound?"
The monster simply grumbled in reply. Marie couldn't tell if he was reluctantly agreeing with her, or objecting to her carrying him like a doll. Ah, no matter. The fact she wasn't currently in flames was a good sign as the fuzzball could easily scorch her in his current position. So since he hasn't done so, she believed he didn't mind it completely. Just chalk it up to his eternal denial of being a cat, yet still acting like one. Fighting back a chuckle that threatened to emerge, the girl left dusty old dorm with her furry friend.
"Alright, this must be the place." Marie noted, looking at the door labeled as the janitor's room.
"Ugh, finally!" Grim complained, perched on the teen's shoulder, "It took us forever just to find this place. You think the headmaster could have at least gave us directions."
The girl sighed, patting the cat's head "I feel ya, Grim. Seems he has a bird brain to match that getup of his."
Whelp, no sense griping about it, they had work to do. She grabbed the door handle and opened it up. Though when she did, both she and Grim ended up yelping in surprise. Inside the closet was a large-built man with a 5 o'clock shadow sleeping in a chair. He wore a tight black sweater, dark blue vest, and tattered jeans. The interesting thing though was that he did not have human ears, instead, he had a pair of bear's ears sticking out from his black hair. The man grunted, peeking open one of his brown eyes. Upon seeing Marie and Grim, he groaned, lowering his cap over his eyes.
"Scram you brats, I'm on break." he grumbled.
"You're not the janitor are you?" the teen asked, a bit appalled by the man's attitude.
"That I am. Now I said scram! No sense in making me work when I don't have to."
"Hey, you can't talk to me and my minion that way!"
"Grim, for the last time, I'm not your mi-"
The cat leaped off of the teen's shoulder, landing on all four before standing up on his hind legs. "Puh, no wonder Crowley wanted us to clean up the school. Clearly, we're way better than you. I bet nothing ever gets clean with you on the job."
Suddenly the bear man let out a growl. He pushed up his hat and got out of the chair. Standing at full height, he towered over the duo, his head even managing to be taller than the doorway itself. "Jeez Grim, did you really have to tick the guy off?" The janitor crouched down slightly in order to avoid hitting his head against the doorsill as he walked forward. Straightening out his back, he glowered down at the two.
Seeing this, Grim's ears flattened before scampering behind Marie's legs. Though he did peek out from behind him, still doing his best effort to hold together his crumbling facade of confidence.
"So much for the Great Magician Grim." Honestly, the cat really should learn to stop and think about what he's gonna say instead of just blurting out his immediate thoughts. If he could do that then maybe she would actually survive this world. "I really would like to get home in one piece."
"Uh hey, please ignore Grim here. He tends to have a pretty big mouth." Marie said with a nervous grin.
"Hey, I don't have a big-"
Trying to prevent further disaster, the girl picked up Grim and slapped her hand over his mouth. Her grin grew larger with her brow twitching slightly "I'm sure you are very good at your job but I assure you that we are not here to replace you. We're only here cause Crowley wants to us help clean up the campus in exchange for allowing us to stay here."
"Stay here? Hmm, now that I think about it..." the janitor replied, leaning down so he was level with two, "girls and monsters aren't usually accepted as students at this school. So why are you two here?"
Figuring it was best to explain everything, Marie started from the beginning. She told him of waking up inside the coffin and her encounter with Grim. How the mirror had revealed that she was a magicless human, confusing everyone how she was even summoned in the first place. Though when she mentioned how Grim set the venue on fire, she noticed the janitor glare down at Grim and growl loudly. Ah, of course, as the janitor he would have been made to clean up the mess. In response, Grim could only give out a shaky chuckle. Finally, she had finished her tale, stating how because she was from another world, the mirror was unable to return her home. After a scuffle with ghosts, Crowley had agreed to let the two stay if they did odd jobs around the school.
The bear man grunted as he crossed his arms. "The Dark Mirror summoning someone from another world eh? Certainly not the strangest thing I've heard all my years working here. But if you say the featherbrain is having you work, I believe it." He chuckled with a large yet slightly menacing grin. "Sides, this means I can dump some of my workloads on you chumps."
Grim wriggling around in the girl's arms, finally freeing his mouth with a gasp. "So you are lazy then." he deadpanned.
"Nah, rather it gets annoying cleaning up after all you brats all the time. I swear if it's not an explosion in Crewel's classroom, then it's remains of a magic duel gone awry. When you have a bunch of hormone-crazed boys all in one place, you got your work cut out for ya." His teeth sneered to reveal his fangs. "Much like the mess you caused last night."
"Ah, truly sorry about that, I promise you, it won't happen again." Marie immediately jumped in, not wanting to risk Grim saying the wrong thing again.
"Hmm, I like you. You're a brat like the rest, but you got respect. Name's Peterson by the way."
"Uh... thanks... I guess? I'm Marie Anderson."
"Well, now that we're associated, take these. Sooner you scram, the sooner I can return to work." Peterson replied, handing the teen a large broom. "As for where Main Street is, just look for the statues of the Great Seven. You can't miss it."
Marie thanked the beastly janitor before walking away, shortly hearing the door slam close behind her.
"Hmph, what's with that guy's attitude? I bet ya he would think twice talking to us that way after I show him my amazing skills." Grim proudly gloated, any sign of his previous nervousness and fear gone.
"Considering what he thought about your display of your 'amazing skills' from last night, I highly doubt that."
"Nyeh, you just wish you had magic like me."
The girl let out a tired sigh, having grown used to the cat's cockiness. "Whatever you say, Grim. Whatever you say."
"Uwaaaah~ Amazing. So this is Main Street." Grim proclaimed in excitement.
The two found themselves on a large stone pathway with seven large statues, four on the left and three on the right. Marie's brows furrowed tightly together. There was something awfully familiar about the seven figures. Did she see them somewhere in her life? No, that's impossible. She's not from this world, so how could she recognize otherworldly figures? Strangely enough, the feeling kept lingering at the back of her mind.
"You know, I've passed through here last night but never did get a good look. That janitor guy said these statues were the Great Seven or something. What's the deal with them?" The feline darted over the statue of a big woman in a dress and wearing a crown. "This granny looks especially snobby."
Marie walked up next to her companion and looked up at the stone image of the queen. Though the statue wore a smile, it wasn't a kind nor welcoming one. Rather it was smug, confident. It was almost as if the statue was saying "Yes, praise me more."
Suddenly, a voice spoke up "You don't know about the Queen of Hearts?"
The two turned around, greeted with the sight of a teenage boy with ginger hair, red eyes, and a heart painted over his left eye. He approached them with a bright grin. The fact he wore a school uniform similar to the one Marie currently wore easily indicated to her that this boy must be one of the many students of Night Raven College. Interestingly enough, the vest he wore was not gray like the one she had received, but red instead. Come to think of it, there was mention of different dorms at the ceremony last night. What dorm could this boy be from?
"Queen of Hearts? Is she important?" Grim questioned with the tilt of his head.
The student nodded his head and explained how the queen lived within a Rose Maze in a land of madness. She maintained order, making everything bow to her will. And if one did not obey, then it was off with their head. Marie grimaced upon hearing this. A queen who executed all those that disobeyed her? That didn't sound like she kept order, rather it made her sound as mad as the rest of the land. She could only imagine the queen lacked much patience. The mental image of the woman screaming with a red face came to mind.
"That's terrifying!" Grim exclaimed.
"Gonna agree with Grim here. Having her as a queen, I would be too busy fearing for my life."
The boy shrugged his shoulders. "Sure it sounds bad, but I find that cool about her. I mean nobody would listen to a queen who's nice all the time, right?"
"Yeah, but isn't there a line between being strict and just coming off as a tyrant?"
"Well, I'd say it worked, otherwise she wouldn't really be among the Great Seven."
The sandy-blonde open her mouth, but immediately closed it. Guess she can't really refute that. If this queen is hailed as a legendary figure, perhaps she was doing something right. Still though, was ruling with an iron fist truly the only way to maintain order in her kingdom?
"He's right I suppose. A strong leader is better." Grim agreed with a slight nod. "By the way, who are you?"
The boy laughed with a smirk. "I'm Ace, a fresh-faced first year. Nice to meetcha~"
Ah, so he was a first-year, meaning he was new to the school like her. Well, minus being from a different world of course. This Ace seemed a pretty friendly guy based on first impressions. Marie couldn't help but give him a small smile.
"I'm Grim, a genius who'll become the greatest magician. The dimwit over here is Marie. She's my henchmen."
And there goes her good feeling.
"Grim, I am this close." the girl grumbled, holding her index finger and thumb centimeters from each other, "This close to strangling you if you call me your henchman one more time!"
But the cat simply ignored her, having already run over to the statue of the lion with the scar and asking about it. A tired sigh slipped from her lips with her shoulders slouching in defeat. There was just no fixing that monster's ego. Pushing that aside, she listened to Ace's explanation of the second figure. Apparently, the lion was known as the King of Beasts that ruled over the Savana, having come into power through his own effort and planning. And once king, he allowed the hyenas into the land who were initially long discriminated against. Was that really all there was to the lion? The girl felt like there were crucial details missing. She really couldn't quite place her finger on it, but she had a feeling it had to do with how he had become king.
"Ooooh. I guess he refused to be held captive by his status!" Grim commenting, staring up at the lion in awe.
Moving onto the next statue was a woman that had octopus legs and in her hand, she held a contract. Ace explained the octopus woman was simply referred to as the Sea Witch and she had used her powers to help unfortunate merfolk. No matter what they desired, the Sea Witch could grant it with ease. With her magic, almost everything was possible. But in exchange for her services, she always requested a hefty price. After all, these wishes could not be given for free. Marie bit her lip upon hearing this. What happened if someone couldn't afford her prices? Was the Sea Witch even fair with her deals? Despite knowing nothing about her, the girl felt inclined to believe the answer was no. It would be so easy to prey upon those down in their luck and walk away with everything in the end.
"Nyaaa-ha! So what you're saying is that I can get rich if I become a great magician?!" the cat grinned, his blue eyes sparkling with excitement.
Marie rubbed her fingers against the temple of her forehead with a groan. "Why am I not surprised the little monster wants to be rich on top of being popular? Well, he certainly isn't going to obtain such praise if he doesn't let some air out of his big head. I swear it's like he likes being full of hot air."
Having finished that row of statues, the trio crossed over to the other side of the street to look at the remaining four statues. The first one Grim approached was a man dressed in Arabian robes, wielding a snake scepter. The statue's face reeked superiority with the eyes narrowed and the mouth pressed together in a firm frown. This was the Sorceror of the Sands according to Ace. A powerful man that was the cabinet minister to a foolish sultan. He ended up usurping said sultan both by gaining the lamp, and exposing a "street rat" who was attempting to trick the princess by posing as a prince. Marie wondered if this was even the truth. The Sorceror was portrayed as a hero for exposing lies, but was the "street rat" really the villain of this story? The girl thought hard, trying to scrape her mind for answers. Unfortunately, thinking about it only managed to make her head hurt.
"Ho hoh! So it is important for magicians to be the center of attention!"
Ah, and Grim's ego has just inflated even more. If he wasn't careful, he might end up bursting.
The next statue was yet of another queen, except this one carried elegance and grace. In her hand, she held an apple that looked like a skull by the stem.
Marie noticed her firey friend stare with wide eyes and his mouth slightly ajar. "Wow, this lady sure is beautiful." he commented.
Ace explained how the woman was known as the Beautiful Queen. Quite a straightforward title. The queen was the most beautiful of them all and would ask a magic mirror every day if this fact remained true. Should the mirror answer otherwise, the queen was willing to do whatever it took to regain her title. Marie felt uneasy learning the queen was skilled at making poisons. Willing to do whatever it takes huh? Would the queen even sacrifice her beauty if it meant taking out the competition? They say the woman was very beautiful, so perhaps there was no one fairer than her. Or was there someone? The girl's headache only increased.
Hearing this, Grim's lovestruck daze was immediately replaced with one of a grimace. "She's pretty... but... no thanks."
"You think? But it's cool that she has something she'll never give up." Ace replied with another shrug.
"S-sure, that single-minded drive is pretty cool."
"If you can even call it that." Marie added, still staring at the statue with unease. "Sides, from what I'm looking at I don't think she held that spot very often."
Choosing to quickly change the subject, the group walked over to the statue of a man in greek robes and flaming hair. He was referred to as the Lord of the Underworld. He ruled over the land of the dead without ever taking a break. It was a detestable job, but he did it regardless. Being so skilled, he earned the respect of Cerebus, Hydra, and the Titans. How strange, that description seems quite vague. Marie felt there was no lie that the god did his job. But did he even enjoy it, or want to rule the Underworld in the first place? She could feel the answer at the very back of her head, but the headache was getting too immense for her to grasp it with clarity.
Grim hummed in thought, his arms crossed and his tail flickering back and forth. "So having talent doesn't mean you get to be haughty."
"Oh, so you only realize that now, huh?" Marie remarked with a grin.
"Hey, I'm not haughty!"
Moving onto the final statue, the teenage girl found her heart caught in her throat. The statue was of a horned woman with a scepter. Gazing at the statue gave her a similar feeling to that of which she had in the presence of that young man from last night. Only, it wasn't quite the same. Staring at the statue didn't send her heart aflutter or make her feel warm inside. It seems her mysterious savior had a different kind of effect on her. Still, why did he feel similar to the statue of this woman? According to Ace, the woman was known as the Witch of Thorns. She was a powerful sorceress that reigned from the Magic Mountains. A top-caliber when it came to magic, easily making her the most powerful of the Great Seven. Her magic could not be matched, allowing her to perform extraordinary feats. One such feat was transforming herself into a dragon.
"Oooh! A dragon! All monsters look up to them!" Grim exclaimed, practically jumping off the ground. "The Great Seven are so amazing!"
Ace grinned in reply. "Yeah, they're so cool~" But in that instant, his grin turned into a cruel smirk "Unlike a certain cat and girl."
As if she had been slapped in the face, Marie stiffened. Her head slowly turned toward the ginger who wore his smirk with pride. Her hands clenched as well as her teeth. She could feel her blood rising to a boiling point.
"What, did you just say?" she uttered in a tone dripping with venom.
"You heard me right, or are you bad at hearing on top of having no magic?"
Oh, he is so dead.
Finally Ace let out a loud laugh. "I can't bear it anymore! Ahahahaha!" He bellowed with laughter, holding both of his against his stomach. His chuckles and giggles of amusement managed to last for a few seconds, persisting through the burning glares he was getting from Marie. As his laughter started to finally quiet down, the boy used his ungloved hand to wipe away his tears.
"You guys are the two who went crazy at the entrance ceremony! You, a girl, summoned by the Dark Mirror even though you can't use magic, and you, a monster, weren't called but still trespassed." Another laugh managed to slip from the teen's lips. "Yeah, it took everything I had not to lose it at the ceremony."
"Whaaa!? You're a rude one!" Grim yelled in angry, still reeling from the boy's heel face turn.
"No kidding." Marie bitterly commented, "Acts like he's all civil and nice but then turns out to be a huge jerk."
Despite the insults being flung at him, Ace's grin never left his face.
"And to top it all off, since you can't be admitted, you guys got stuck as janitors! You're even standing there holding a broom like a maid! Haha, how lame. I mean, you didn't even know about the Great Seven. How ignorant can you be? Maybe you should go back to kindergarten before coming to Night Raven College."
Never has the girl's urge to slap someone desperately ever been so strong. Even with Crowley who managed to get on her nerves with his jumping the conclusions only managed to get an angry outburst. But this kid, he has crossed the line with her.
"Leave now, before I make you regret it."
"Tch. As if you and the fuzzball could do anything to me. Sides, I'm done having my fun messing with you guys. Unlike you two, I actually have classes to attend to." He turned around and gave a salute with his fingers without looking toward the two. "Keep this school squeaky clean, you two~"
Marie huffed with the roll of her eyes. As infuriating as Ace was, he wasn't worth the effort. She had promised both Crowley and Peterson that there wouldn't be trouble like at the entrance ceremony. Getting in a fight with Ace would only be her going back on her word. Letting her angry slip away, the teen turned toward Grim to tell him to get to work. Only when she did, the sight she saw filled her with dread.
Grim was snarling with his bangs barred. The flames in his ears were large, flickering and burning with intensity. His pitchfork tail moved back and forth. All features the girl had seen on the cat the previous night.
"This jerk! He's just gonna say that and leave! I'm ticked off!" Grim sneered.
"Grim, wai-"
But it was already too late, the cat had darted off after the departing Ace. Seeing this, Marie whined in frustration. Maybe it was a bad idea to agree to keep Grim out of trouble. With little choice in the matter, the girl took off running after the monster in a last ditch attempt to stop him. This was going to be a long day.
