Rhia Parker and Victor Lee have been inseparable since kindergarten, back when she knocked out one of his teeth during afternoon recess. That's how they met. Of course she didn't mean to, and she apologized later, but secretly she was glad she had. Because otherwise, she would have never met the life-alter that was him.
I make it sound dramatic, like he whisked her away into a magical new world of happiness and joy. In a way he did. She knew her life would be bleak without him. He brought her out of her shell. She spent whole days with him, playing video games and watching anime re-runs, laughing about old jokes and new ones. She grew up with him. He was like the brother she never had.
And of course, if it weren't for Victor, she would never have met Saskia Pace. Around third grade, their duo turned into a trio when a new girl moved to their neighborhood. Saskia had skin the color of chocolate milk and a curly, untamable mane of sun-kissed bronze hair that was always full of bows and pins and beads. Victor immediately took a liking to her, and they decided to take her under their wing.
After that, their video game screen was always split thee ways instead of two. Saskia brought charm and charisma to the group, brightening up every room she entered. Her laugh was contagious, and her stupid jokes were somehow funny. Rhia was so grateful to Saskia because now she had someone to call about boy advice or about what she should wear. Up until then, she hadn't realized how much she had needed a sister.
Rhia's cellphone rang, distracting her from her thoughts. She had just woken up and was still laying in bed. The too-bright sun shone trough her NYC apartment window, making her squint. She picked up the phone from her nightstand. It was Victor. He had set her phone so every time he called, a picture of him wearing his thick-framed glasses and grinning like a maniac appeared on her caller ID, along with the words "Sic Vic" on the top of the screen.
She touched accept with a lazy smile. "Hey, Victor." Even to her own ears she sounded groggy.
"Whoa," he said. "You sound like you gurgled acid."
Rhia rolled her eyes but laughed anyway. "What's up? I must know this oh-so-important reason you woke me up at 11 a.m."
"Yeah, way too early," he said. "Rhia Parker needs to get her beauty rest until at least noon."
"Victor, you're drifting. What do you want?"
As soon as she said this, the mood on the other end of the line changed. He didn't speak for several seconds, then exhaled loudly. She could almost see him running his hands through his wild curly hair, a look of frustration on his face.
Rhia was suddenly nervous. "Victor, where are you? What's going on?"
"I'm at the Lab," he said. The Lab was a corner cafe, the corner cafe, where Rhia, Saskia, and Victor spent most of their time. Saskia currently had a job there for the summer because was saving up for a motorcycle. Yeah, she had cool parents. Victor continued, "You should probably get over here."
"I'll be right there," she said and hung up.
* * *
Rhia was a professional at getting dressed in a rush, probably due to the fact that she had her alarm clock set five minutes before the first school bell. She jumped into a pair of black jeggings that Saskia had got her and threw on a red hoodie that said "WHAT?" on the front in large capital letters, grabbed her keys and was out the door in three minutes flat. She hardly even had time to mourn the absence of breakfast.
Or lunch.
Since her dad was usually out of the house and in his studio by the time she was up, Rhia was in charge of locking the door when she left. On her rush out of the apartment building, she almost knocked down their elderly neighbor Mrs. Blythe and two of her cats, Whiskers and Marsha. "Sorry!" she yelled over her shoulder, but Mrs. Blythe probably couldn't hear her because she was muttering something to Whiskers.
She didn't have a car (seriously, who drives in New York?), and she didn't need one. The Lab was only a few blocks from the apartment building.
Outside, the leaves on the trees were already beginning to change colors, just another reminder that summer break was almost over. It wasn't exactly cold, but a chilly breeze ruffled through her black pixie haircut, making her shiver. What was up with Victor? He had seemed so worried. What if something had happened to Saskia while she was working?
The thought made Rhia walk faster.
Just another block, then she'd know. She broke into a run, and when she reached the cafe, she tried to look through the window but couldn't see much past all the posters and window art. All she could see was that the place was more crowded than usual. Not a good sign, right?
Then she took a deep breath and pulled open the door.
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