Page 3 of Crazy as Hell

It wasn’t just a time loop.

It was a prison sentence with an invisible execution date.

While this new revelation thoroughly pissed her off, it was also a new clue she didn’t have before. For that, she was grateful, even if it was depressing as hell. Figuring out what to do with that knowledge was unclear. She still felt like she was missing too many pieces of the puzzle to put it all together yet.

But each loop was one step closer.

There were still many unknown paths for her to try if she wanted to be adventurous, but she had met some new allies during her last cycle who had a wide network she hadn’t gotten to fully tap into before she had ended up dying in a freaking mudslide.

Hence, the long, hot shower.

While Naomi brushed her teeth, she stared at herself in the mirror. The green eyes that stared back at her in the reflection were barely recognizable. They were battle-hardened and looked like they belonged to a stranger. She slapped some moisturizer on her face and rubbed some lip balm on before considering it done. She no longer bothered with makeup, nor did she care about using hair products.

As she brushed out her long black hair, she considered cutting it, but ultimately decided against it. She was too lazy to waste the effort. Instead, she tied her hair back in a loose ponytail and fixed her bangs so that they covered most of her forehead.

Since it was hot as hell in her apartment, she cranked up the air conditioner, forgoing the normal caution about high electricity bills. She threw on a pair of black panties, a sports bra, cargo pants, and a matching tank top. She used to love wearing cute and colorful clothing, but wearing all black suited her much better now. When she was living in her own personal apocalypse, and every day could be her funeral, it was important to dress the part.

After pouring herself a giant mug of coffee and grabbing a carton of yogurt from the fridge, she sat down at her desk and opened a thick leatherbound journal. She had gotten the journal with the thought of keeping track of all of the notable spells she leaned at the magical academy. Since that was no longer necessary, she used it as a battle journal, an ongoing chronicle of her fucked up reality.

As was her habit, she wrote down all the key details she could remember from her previous lives, starting with the most recent. It helped her to keep track of things so she wouldn’t end up making foolish mistakes. It was also good to keep a record of people she’d met in the past. Having a quick reference guide was helpful if she had specific questions or needed to speak to someone with expertise in certain disciplines.

Before the time loop began, she didn’t have many connections within the supernatural community. The staff at the group home made sure everyone understood the fundamentals of magic, including basic spells, magical history, and the rules they were expected to follow. Beyond that, Naomi just assumed she would learn everything she needed once she got to Trifecta University.

While some witches had rare magical gifts or were able to master impressive spells, she could barely manage even the simplest spells without exhausting herself. Truthfully, she suspected the only reason Trifecta University’s magical academy had accepted her was due to her academic record. Her magic might have been mediocre, but her grades were impossible to ignore.

She spent years studying hard and working her ass off to earn a scholarship to a school that would help start her on a path for success. More than anything, what she wanted was stability and to build a life that actually belonged to her. She wanted a real home and, if she was lucky, perhaps a chance to have a real family.

Since her magical awakening had left her with little more than a faint spark of power, she always believed education was the only reliable path toward getting what she wanted. Good grades, scholarships, and a respected career were supposed to be her way forward.

Now, none of that mattered.

All those years she’d spent working hard to get accepted into a good school had become meaningless the moment the time loop began. However, the endless death cycle hadn’t been entirely without rewards.

If there was one advantage to reliving the same stretch of time over and over again, it was that she had accumulated years of experience that no one else possessed. While the world continued to move on, Naomi lived through the same days countless times without aging.

Beyond that, the evolution of her magical abilities was quite shocking. With each rebirth, her magic grew stronger until she was a force to be reckoned with. And the girl who had once struggled to throw a punch was also a skilled fighter. Perhaps that was a fair exchange for the shitty situation she was stuck in, or maybe fate was simply taking pity on her and arming her with the skills she needed to protect herself.

She had devoted countless lifetimes to studying magic and combat from every source she could find. Whenever one approach failed, she simply waited for the next reset and tried another. She sought guidance from renowned professors at different magical academies, and made contact with other powerful supernatural beings scattered throughout the Six Realms. Even if she didn’t get the one answer she ultimately wanted, during every lifetime she learned something new.

Convincing people that she was trapped in a repeating timeline was pretty damn challenging. The story sounded insane, and most people dismissed her before she could finish explaining it. But after repeating the same conversations dozens of times, she had refined her approach.

She learned exactly what evidence to present, which questions people would ask, and how to demonstrate knowledge she couldn’t possibly possess. It didn’t always earn their trust, but it was usually enough to convince them to at least hear her out. Unfortunately, no one she’d met knew how to set her free.

Yet.

But she had to figure it out.

There was no other option. Because if she didn’t, she would be trapped in the cycle of death forever. And that would surely end up driving her fucking crazy.

Chapter Two

Naomi glanced at the clock on her desk and let out a long, weary sigh.

She would have company soon.

Billy Tolver was one of her friends from the group home. Back when they were living there, she’d been convinced there was something special between them. The lingering glances, the easy laughter, the way he always seemed to seek her out had made her feel special. It had all felt like the beginning of something. She’d secretly imagined that one day their friendship might blossom into something more.

It was amazing how convincing people could be when they wanted something.