"One Night" Amanda - Found Family (Prologue)

Amanda was always a bright kid. She excelled academically and athletically, in school and in competitions, in every discipline she could train. If you asked, she wouldn't've told you it was all in the hopes of garnering the attention of her parents, wealthy business owners too busy with their careers to pay much attention to their daughter. But it was. At least until it became a habit, and then she just excelled because it was what she did.

Amanda was accepted into a variety of schools–with her grades and CV, who wouldn't be–but she chose the somewhat obscure Miskatonic University because it let her delve into her more esoteric interests, and because for once she wanted to be away from the center of attention. She quickly rose through the ranks of her classes, studying languages, history, comparative mythology. Outside of the classroom she led martial arts clubs and debate teams. All the while, though, she struggled with her self-image, her sense of value. So she signed up for an appointment with the school therapist.

Here she found the family she had been lacking all her life. Sure, Carolyn drank sometimes. A lot of the time. Almost all the time, really, when she thought Amanda wouldn't notice. And sure when things got weird, Carolyn could get weird right along with them...but she cared about Amanda. She helped her learn to take better care of herself, to respect herself, to maintain a Positive Mental Attitude.

Then one day, as they were walking across campus after an appointment, things got weird...and Amanda discovered she had more than a little capacity for weird herself.