"Will you stop acting like a child?!"

"No way in fucking hell! You’re a ghost! You’re gonna eat me! Die! Go back to where you came from!"

Anna grabbed her pillow and threw it at Princess Orchid.

The pillow went right through.

"What?!" Anna screamed.

"Has it dawned on your pea sized brain? I’m not a fucking ghost. I’m an AI construct. Didn’t you learn anything in school?"

Anna paused, her chest heaving, another pillow clutched in her hands. "What? Wait a minute? You’re not real! You’re AI?"

Princess Orchid crossed her arms, staring at Anna like she was a cockroach. Then her face became blank and her voice changed.

[You asked for a guidebook, hostie.]

"System! It’s you!" Anna exhaled, dropping the pillow. "Oh my goodness! You should have warned me at least!"

[I did. I told you the guidebook would be ready in 24 hours and here it is.]

"I don’t...I don’t understand. When I said I needed a guidebook, I needed a real book. Not...not this." The gestured vaguely to the hologram.

[Yes. However, it’s up to me to decide which form to take. You’re not progressing, hostie. At this rate, we’ll be stuck this way forever and you will never achieve a goal change.]

"Wait...I swear I’m—"

[You’re not. In the meantime, until you’ve attained your goal change, I will assume the form of Princess Orchid as your guide. Please keep in mind we are not of the same programming, and certain measures have been put in place to ensure your strict compliance.]

"What do you mean by that?! Certain measures of what?!"

"Oh for fucks sake. How did you get chosen? You’re so stupid you give a new meaning to the word."

Anna gasped, her mouth forming a large O. "I beg your finest pardon?"

AI Orchid cocked her head to the side. Her haughty eyes scanned Anna from top to bottom then she shook her head.

"It’s like the saying from your world goes. Put lipstick on a pig and it’s still a pig."

That did it.

Anna gave a war cry and attacked.

She phased right through AI Orchid. In her blind attack, she slipped on her foot and her forehead hit the edge of her table.

"Ow!" She hollered, grabbing her forehead as pain wracked through her body.

"I’m not a real! For fuck’s sake, will you ever learn?" AI Orchid hissed. "How about using this energy to actually work towards your goals?"

Anna whipped around and faced her. "Fuck you bitch! It’s no wonder you’re fucking dead!"

"We’re both dead, get over yourself!"

Anna bit her lip.

Anger washed over her, bright hot and red. She hadn’t even been this angry at Leon. Or anyone else for that matter.

Barely three minutes and she understood perfectly why everyone hated this Princess. She took "mean girl" to a new level. No, it was more than that. There wasn’t a word wicked enough to classify this woman.

"Now," AI Orchid said, sashaying over to the bed and perching on it. Anna wondered how she was able to do that if she didn’t have a physical body. "I’d rather not spend another extra minute staring at the mess you’ve turned my face into. Here’s how this is going to work."

"Can others see you?" Anna cut in.

AI Orchid glared at her. "No. As I was saying, I have full power to reward and punish you as I see fit, so it’s best if you don’t piss me off. Are we clear, or should I dumb it down for you?"

Anna rose to her feet. Her forehead throbbed but she swallowed the pain and stormed over to her. "Watch your mouth."

"Or what?"

Anna didn’t reply.

"That’s right. You can’t do anything. You don’t have any teeth, all bark. It disgusts me, knowing you’re walking around pretending to be me."

"Not my problem you’re dead. Oh and killed by your husband, wow. Little fucking wonder he ended you. I would have done same if I was married to demon like you."

AI Orchid smirked. "There. There it is. You do have a tooth afterall."

Heat crept up Anna’s chest and settled over her face. She clenched her fists, her spores turning pale purple. "You’re a real bitch."

"Makes two of us. Now, first things first, don’t ever dress like this again. And when was the last time you brushed your hair? Or wore jewels in it? Have you been soaking in the medicated water? Don’t tell me you’ve been walking around looking like a breathing corpse?!"

Anna hated her.

She thought she knew the extent of Princess Orchid’s behavior. She thought she had seen it all. But nothing prepared her for meeting the woman face to face.

If this is how annoying she is as an AI construct, how much more in person?

Begrudgingly, Anna also realized how much of a shitty job she’d been doing at pretending to be Princess Orchid, at pretending to be a villainess in general. She didn’t come close to the original evil at all.

I guess you’re just born with it or not. Thank God I wasn’t born with it! Ew!

AI Orchid got to her feet and pulled up a massive glowing screen. On the screen was Anna’s stats.

"See that? How many memories do you have unused?"

Anna folded her arms. "I’m sure you can read, Princess."

"Haha, very funny. You must have been the class clown."

Anna bit her lip. If she could hit her, she would have slapped AI Orchid over and over again.

"From now henceforth, I will activate memories that help serve the story and push you towards your goals." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"You can’t do that! For all I know your memories might be filled with of you straight on murdering people!"

"I never get my hands dirty with such gross work."

"Oh, right. You use your husbands as weapons!"

AI Orchid looked confused. "What else are they for?"

Anna blinked. She went through all stages of disgust and repulsion. "You’re—"

"Save it. Nothing I haven’t heard already. In addition, I will activate accumulated plot points to also serve the story and help your sorry ass get shit done."

"So what? I’m your slave now?"

Only then did she smile. "Took you long enough to figure it out. What? You thought I’d hold your hand and coddle you? You’re in this story now. This is your life. And for fuck’s sake you’re wearing my face, you can’t keep embarrassing me."

Anna couldn’t believe this was the System. Wow, AI must have advanced a lot.

The stats screen vanished and in its place was an image of a gown, hairstyle and a pair of shoes. Everything on the screen was so elaborate and stylish.

"This is today’s outfit." AI Orchid announced.

"Do I get villain points for that?"

"Do you get a head pat and a word of praise for wearing a fucking dress? I warned you, don’t piss me off."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Bitch." She muttered under her breath.

"Please come up with a more creative insult. Get dressed, your task is ready."

At the mention of "task" Anna’s heart skipped. "What task?"

"Your guide isn’t free. You’re to spread your Purple, key word "purple" Spores over a large settlement. You have 48 hours. Failure to complete it, well, you’ll be punished. Don’t ask what punishment, I’ll decide if you fail."

"You can’t be serious! A settlement? People could get hurt!"

"Exactly."

"How...you know I’ve always wanted to look you in the eye and ask you this. How are you so evil? How? You could have been worshipped! But you chose to be Satan!"

"Please. Satan takes notes from me. Why am I evil? Because I want to. You think there’s some big philosophical reason behind my actions? That’s why you’re a doormat. You keep thinking there’s good in people. You hold onto that foolish hope that people will be touched by your kindness and stop pounding your head into the ground. Tell me, how did that end up for you? Your boyfriend cheated on you thrice and you took him back every time. And work? Dying at your desk on a Tuesday. The boss you saw so much good in, do you want to know what he said when he saw your corpse? ’why couldn’t she die in her apartment’ So tell me, why were you so miserable?"

Anna wasn’t new to hearing people call her names. Or a doormat. She was used to it, or so she said to herself.

However, hearing AI Orchid say it struck a part of Anna she thought was healed.

That tender spot began to bleed.

Tears stung Anna’s eyes. "You’re an asshole," she muttered, her voice trembling and her throat constricting.

"And now you’re crying. Have your tears ever solved anything? And yet you continue to waste your energy on them. You disgust me, Anna Carson."

"The feeling is mutual, Anna DeMarchess."

"Good. Get ready. The sooner you get a goal change, the sooner I can get rid of you."