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I. WELCOME TO MIRRORWORLD
When Riley wakes up, she first takes the sleeping mask from her face, revealing her mascara smudged and her face puffy from the arms of sleep. The sun is shining right into her face from the window, and she finds herself still in the seat next to Val. She holds a hand out to shield herself from the sun, then squints before taking a glance into the bus. There's Quinn still in the row next to them, but apart from that, the bus is empty. Riley rubs her eyes, then takes out a travel-sized makeup kit and a hand mirror, applying some emergency concealer for the marks sleep left on her and refreshes her lipgloss, then gives herself an uplifting smile in the mirror. You got this, Babe.
She's nervous. Her heart's beating obnoxiously loud, all the way into her ears. What she told Val was true. Well, half anyways. She needs to win this for the exposure. To become an actress. But she also needs to prove her mother. Prove her that she can make it on her own, without her, without starving herself, without sitting on whatever man's lap is the most influential at the table. She doesn't want to play by her mother's rules anymore.
Gently, Riley nudges Val in their side with her elbow, holding her breath; she doesn't know yet what kind of person her newfound friend is right after waking up, and so she's intent on treading carefully. Quinn turns his head, looking at Riley, lifting the corners of his mouth for a polite smile as Val starts to groan as she wakes up.
"Hey," Quinn says, scratching the back of his head.
"Hey," Riley says, her voice only slightly above a whisper, still heavy from sleep. "Where is everyone?"
"What, the Metal Militia from the back?" Quinn points to the now empty back row of the bus; Riley squints and sees the empty wrapper of the sandwiches crumpled on the floor next to where the redhead was sitting. "They went outside for a smoke break. Haven't returned inside, yet. It's been a while, though."
Riley sinks back into the seat, dodging Val's arm as they stretch, blinking with one eye. "We there yet?" she says, running a hand through her hair, the ponytail they had tied it into near ruination from the nap she took.
Quinn nods. "Yeah. Looks like it," he takes a glance outside the window and immediately sees they're not the only ones here: he can make out a total of two other busses parked on the gravel next to them. On the steps of one of them, Quinn sees a tan guy with short, curly hair, perched over what looks like a notebook, tapping his leg. As if he knew that Quinn was looking at him, he raises his head and they make eye contact: it's like his stomach drops at the sight of the other's big, brown eyes, and he feels his throat running dry.
"Hey, uh," he looks over to Riley and Val, who are both looking at him now, waiting for him to speak. "I'll catch some fresh air, alright?"
Riley nods. "Yeah, sure, don't worry," she dismissively waves her hand, the pink of her nails blurring into a line with the motion. "We'll come out in a sec, too, I guess." She offers him a friendly smile, which he can't help but return now. He nods, then grabs his things, leaving the bus. Outside, there's several people: he guesses everyone is in one place now. There's the metalhead alliance from their bus, then what looks like a couple, judging from the way the tall guy has his arm wrapped around his partner's shoulders. There's another person; freckles, a frown on their face, standing by themselves, a cigarette in between their fingers. Quinn considers walking up to them for a second, then turns around and makes his way towards the boy he saw from the window.
