Flora’s Guide to a Second Chance at Love and Life

Josie was a whole new person. Standing on stage, she was like a beacon, radiating a magnetic energy that was hard to ignore.

Shelly nudged Fiona with a bit of an eye-roll, whispering, "What's Josie up to now? She's gone overboard with all this fuss, and it's only seven-thirty. She's definitely jumping the gun, coming out to show off so early. What's she thinking?"

Fiona checked her watch and saw Shelly had a point-Josie wasn't supposed to take the stage until nine. But Fiona wasn't too worried about the schedule. Their seats gave them a perfect view of the stage, so they could catch every little detail. Just as Fiona was about to sip her tea, she stopped her friends. "Hold up. Don't drink that."

They looked at her, confused but trusting, and set their cups down.

“What's the deal? Is there something in the water?" Shelly frowned, glaring at Josie. "I'll give her a piece of my mind!"

Jasmine quickly grabbed Shelly's arm to keep her from causing a scene. "Chill out. Let Fiona explain."

Fiona pointed at the tea. "Take a good look."

Following her cue, they leaned in closer to their cups. Each one of them saw something brown and stringy, sort of like a long tea leaf.

They were puzzled, exchanging glances with Fiona, until Nash shouted, "It's moving!"

Their eyes darted back to their cups. The thing they thought was a tea leaf was actually alive a worm!

Their first reaction was shock. How did a worm end up in their tea?

Shelly, who had never encountered anything like it, almost let out a scream. "What... what... is this creepy thing?"

Her voice quivered with fear, making her whole body tremble. Jasmine, staying calm, spread a napkin on the table and used tongs to fish the worm out of the cup, placing t on the napkin to get a better look.

They watched as the worm lay still on the napkin, lifeless in a minute or two, its body stiff and brittle.

They were floored. The worm couldn't survive out of water for even a couple of minutes.noveldrama

Fiona borrowed the tongs from Jasmine, scooped some water from her cup, and dripped it onto the napkin. The napkin soaked up the water, becoming thoroughly wet.

To their amazement, in less than two minutes, the worm started wriggling again.

Fiona was both surprised and

fascinated. She had been curious about how quickly the worm had

seemed to die and wanted to see if

water could bring it back. He hunch was spot on.

Tyler then brought out a clean, airtight glass jar, carefully placed the

worm inside, and sealed it t

"I'l

take these back for Fiona to study!" he said, pleased with himself.