Pouring a jug of coffee into two white mugs, I placed them on top of a brown tray, together with two plates of freshly-buttered toast and two bowls of soft-boiled eggs. With both hands, I carried it towards table number two, which was placed at the right corner of the store window. "Here are your breakfast, Mayor Yearns," I served his meal on his table. "That'll be 6 dollars altogether."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJz8kGVeohW
Taking out his wallet from his side pocket, Mayor Yearns handed me a green bill and a blue bill and thanked me. I smiled as I was about to head back to the counter, only for his daughter, Lisa, to tug the sleeves of my T-shirt. "Hey Bugsy, are we still meeting up at the arcade tonight?"646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJCYnWw5pU
I nodded. "Of course we are, Lisa. Why do you ask?"646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDHqkjlhV6
Mayor Yearns cleared his throat. "Well Bugsy, I've read today's newspaper and umm...it doesn't look good at all."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqBNWTRLws
"Oh," my eyebrows furrowed. "Did we lost many men at the battlefield?"646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4eiZjDaSH8
He shook his head. "Nope, a serial killer had escaped from prison in La Belle."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfbZrGWzXai
I let out a loud gasp. "Really? What's his name?"646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAqzGkZqCf
"His name is James Larthow, also known as the Ripper. His method of killing included mutilating his victims into bits and disposing them in the garbage bin."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyfQ2VQp78y
He showed me a mugshot of a young man, with fair skin, blue eyes and chestnut hair, who was grinning ear-to-ear. "I'm still allowing both of you to hang out at the arcade, but in one condition."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplHxrG15iW
"What is it, daddy?" Lisa asked.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHJkY5ihwI
"Both of you must be home by 10 p.m, sharp," he instructed. "The same goes for the whole town."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpWeaD0aJ7
"I beg to differ, Mayor Yearns," I spoke. "But La Belle prison is in the other side of the country and with the war going on right now, it's unlikely for the Ripper to escaped to Slaborough."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWN4D0yQbh
"But still, Bugsy, it's better to be safe than sorry. I can't let this killer take an innocent life in this town."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbsfs9vNTih
Looking at the watch on his wrist, he gulped down his coffee and laid his handkerchief on the table as he got up from his seat. "Now if you excuse me, ladies, I have a town meeting to attend to. Good day," he tipped his hat to me as he left the coffeehouse. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYbKbsTQkY
Lisa sighed as I lifted the empty dishes from where she was sitting and walked towards the counter. Putting on a pair of rubber gloves, I scrubbed the dishes with a squishy, yellow sponge when I heard the door chime. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtjV1ks0MM
"Welcome to Little Owl Coffeehouse," I greeted. "What can I do for you?"646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8HdkLcSOm
"Hey Bugsy," chirped a familiar voice behind me. "You look good today."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgRgRvRNb7
My lips twisted and my left fist clenched as I turned around and faced the dark-skinned boy with black, frizzy hair. "Archie Velasco," I forced a smile at my class rival. "It's nice seeing you here."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxhg4RxcCH
"You too, Bugsy," he rested his elbow on the counter, eyeing at the menu on the chalkboard. "Could I have a glass of lemonade? It's pretty hot out there."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbE6PxLDqW
"One glass of lemonade coming right up," I said as I grabbed a lemon from the bowl and sliced it in half, squeezing it with a squeezer and poured it inside the glass. Adding some sugar syrup and water inside, I dumped a few cubes of ice inside and stirred it with a spoon. Not forgetting a straw, I slid the drink on the counter and gestured to Archie for payment.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxHrR0afwqc
"That'll be four dollars," I spoke. He handed me four one-dollar bills and thanked me, sipping his drink. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKOmtR4Nqq
"By the way, Bugsy, do you have any plans tonight?"646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ53NZam3cQz
I bobbed my head. "Ferdinand, Naomi, Lisa and I are going to the arcade tonight. Why did you ask?"646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAp5webNzZ9
Archie shrugged. "Well, I was gonna ask you to join me and my friends for a movie."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrosSFnib3E
Lisa and I burst into laughter. "Really? Don't you have enough friends to join you?" asked Lisa, who was poking his cheeks.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXv5VaydzDH
"I do, Lisa. It's just that it'll be nice to have more people joining us. You know what they say, the more the merrier."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4LZ8wNgRuZ
"Oh, are you watching The Truman Show?"646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJsV54Epda
"Of course. My favourite actor is there. Jim Carrey, love his work."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4WH7LLj7io
"That's cool. Well, I watched it the other day with my dad and it was heart-wrenching in the end."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAlaTcNsac
Archie sighed. "Well Lisa, thanks for reminding me to bring a box of tissue to the cinema."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxoQvEf7Li
"Oh shoot," she covered her mouth. "I shouldn't have said that."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEDIPPzv6V
He let out a small laugh and continued to chat with the girl with dreadlocks, leaving me to wipe the tables and chairs and wash the dishes in the sink, waiting for time to fly a little faster.
Wearing a graphic tee that says 'Colour Pop' with blue denim shorts, I walked inside the air-conditioned arcade and watched so many kids and teens sitting in front of the bright, flashy screen popping out from the arcade games, pressing the buttons and swinging the joysticks.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhOlTruNbpf
I headed towards the counter and slipped two dollars in front of the token man, asking for game tokens. As the token man gave me four game tokens, I thanked him and searched for my friends all over, only to feel a huge squeeze from behind.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8sINDIODD
"Hi Bugsy," Naomi squealed in my ear. I gave a huge whoop as I turned to see my friend, and held my chest for a few moments. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOTE0jvP3PQ
"Goddammit," I exclaimed, panting. "Don't ever do that to me ever again."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQm1D9B9iJi
Naomi giggled and wrapped her arms around my shoulder. "Sorry about that, Bugsy," she placed her hand on her bubblegum pink beret. "I forgot that you hate surprises."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ87FPMDuZzw
I sighed as I gave Naomi a friendly hug. "You know, you look pretty in pink."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCOn4IfFvj
"Like the movie with the redhead girl?" she pointed out.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxryguAbJ0N
I lifted my shoulder. "No pun intended, pal but yeah, just like that movie with Molly Ringwald."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lz7Id5GNQ
Grabbing my hand, she dragged me towards the 'Street Fighters II' arcade, where I watched Ferdinand and Lisa competing against each other.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcozYqhqq8
"You're going down, farm boy," Lisa gritted her teeth, pressing the game buttons in an aggressive manner. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZL0uroxoOb
The blue-collared shirt boy let out a small chuckle. "We'll see about that, princess."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdfIn5uAcq6
Lisa gave a smug as she shifted her focus towards the game screen and moved her fingers on the buttons numerous times. She panted and panted until her hands began to feel numb. She released her breath and slammed the button vigorously, and the arcade machine declared the winner of the game.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMaIalnize
She raised both arms in the air and screamed in joy as Naomi gave her a hug. Ferdinand's jaws dropped as he watched the screen fade to black. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvIouGO2h3
"I don't believe it," he stuttered. "I almost had you, Lisa."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjCWJYHOOCD
"Well top bad, farm boy," she stuck her tongue out. Ferdinand exhaled when he saw me approaching, making his lips curved into a smile. "Oh hey Bugsy. Boy, I'm glad to see you here."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHpY62ROMX
"Me too," I gleamed as we embraced others in a long hug. "So how's it going with your mom?"646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQiWl4VYFmU
"We're doing fine," he replied. "Corn season will be here soon, and we'll be working in no time."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLd3hWHMnv
I nodded as I took out two of my tokens from my jean pocket and inserted them into the coin slot. The screen turned bright as I entered the game with Naomi playing against me. As the game began, both of us frantically pushed the buttons with both hands while Lisa and Ferdinand cheered for us.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyLDZPaZjS
I leaned forward as I felt a rush of adrenaline released throughout my whole body, my right foot pacing up and down. In a flash, Naomi literally jumped in the air as the machine announced her as the winner. "I won!" she screamed with excitement. "I won! I won! I won!"646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3kN5jqjSF
"Dammit," I cursed, as I dropped on my knees and pulled my hair. "I'm so bad at video games."
Lisa and Naomi high-five each other as Ferdinand kneel and placed his hands on my shoulder. "You did your best, Bugsy. You can do better next time."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAGbDCuIca
He helped me up as I dusted my jeans with my hands, before glancing at him. "So, how's your day?"646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHkdB4zX3fq
I shrugged. "It was fine, I guess. Mayor Yearns told me about this serial killer."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qxzdB1EP7
"Oh, the Ripper," he raised his fingers. "Yeah, I heard about it from my mom. She attended the town meeting this morning."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWHZ2E0WNpq
"What did Mayor Yearns say?"646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaddRsiulM
"My mom told me that I should stay over at a friend's house if it's past curfew."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7zRVujUbk
"That's exactly what my parents told me," Naomi joined in. "My mom almost fainted when she heard the news."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMEm2RYEQZB
"Same goes for me, although I'm skeptical about Mayor Yearn's actions."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgcMgoZ8Ln
Lisa raised her eyebrows. "What are you saying?"646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXe2p0X2dGA
"Geographically, La Belle's prison is 1,849 kilometres. And if he were to run all the way here, that'll take him about 446 hours," I explained. "And with the war going on right now, it's impossible for him to go anywhere right now."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5PtD9NkWm4
Naomi, Ferdinand and Lisa glimpsed at each other before Lisa let out a loud sigh. "I get where you're coming from, Bugsy," she crossed her arms. "But you know dad. He always told me that I can never be too safe and well, he seem to have a point."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibbF8ZkLx1
Naomi looked at the round clock on the wall and placed her hand over her mouth. "Oh my gosh," she exclaimed. "It's quarter to ten."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlijtj7zBLv
Lisa smacks her hand on her forehead. "We have fifteen minutes to reach home."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv7m5x0KMVO
All four of us rushed out of the arcade and said a quick goodbye to each other, before parting ways. Ferdinand and I held hands as we ran on the pavement, as I glanced at Naomi and Lisa over my shoulder, who were bolting through the crowd.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQhIL3LOwl
"Come on, Bugsy," Ferdinand pulled my hands. "We have to hurry back to the coffeehouse."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzoxP477HN
"Sorry," I uttered, catching my breath as I ran. Feeling like a thousand needles stabbing through my left legs, I gulped for air as we almost reached the Little Owl Coffeehouse. Hearing me hiss in pain, Ferdinand burst the front door opened and pushed me inside, before walking in and closing the door behind me.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2NVOXJ5oKm
Aunt Inara ran towards me and gave me a hand, as she sat me down. "Are you guys alright?" she asked, her eyebrows raised. 646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHwhaKV6J5Q
Ferdinand held his chest and sat beside me. "We're fine, auntie," I finally caught my breath. "We're just trying to beat the curfew."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFuD2vtmO50
She let out a small laugh. "Well, you guys arrived just on time. Why don't you kids watch something on TV, while I'll close the store with Chaeyeong?"646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxn5NAIs2c
"Yes, ma'am," said Ferdinand, as he was about to head upstairs with me. "Oh Aunt Inara," he stopped mid-track. "Could I call my mom and tell her that I'm here in your place?"646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeFRU9yAgRK
"Sure," Aunt Inara accepted his permission. "Phone call's free after ten."646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRCLqFYSS0
Ferdinand thanked my aunt and went upstairs to the living room, picking up the handset and dialled the numbers on the keypad. "I'll get us some refreshments," I pointed the kitchen with my thumb. He gave me a thumbs up and started talking to his mother on the phone as soon as I walked into the kitchen, grabbing a jug full of water.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpZUgp2KmM
As I poured a jug of water into two glasses, I looked out of the window and stared at the now-empty streets, filled with flickering streetlights and the distant howling from the prairies. The waning moon was illuminating its light at the alleyway. I watched the night skies decorated with the ethereal Milky Way and held my head with both hands as I counted the stars and galaxies above me.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2wg5bzy2mg
My arms were relaxed and my mind wandered in the clouds when I noticed a tall, dark shadow from the window below me.646Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6GAw8Dyxu
