Chapter 16
“And then she yelled, ‘Run, Ahvi!’—can you believe that?!” Ahvi said through a fit of giggles as Jesmine roared with laughter.
Soraya walked ahead with her lips pressed tightly together in annoyance. The sound of cars honking and the worn-out brakes of a bus squeaking faintly in the background as she stewed.
“I can’t believe you got spooked like that,” Jesmine crowed. “You let yourself get psyched out by that old dude, seriously!”
Soraya didn’t say a word as she crossed the street, jaywalking through heavy traffic. Ahvi and Jesmine followed after her.
“Hey! Don’t just walk into traffic!” Ahvi shouted at her. “It’s all fun and games until you get hit by a car!”
“Why should I care that you’re worried about saving my life?” Soraya asked sarcastically, just as someone honked at her. She ignored the angry driver and weaved through the lanes.
Ahvi shouted after her, “Oh, come on! You should have seen your face. You really believed some shadow monster was there.”
“Whatever.” Soraya stuffed her hands into her scratchy leggings and stepped onto the sidewalk. She began walking down Figueroa with Ahvi and Jesmine trailing behind her.
“Boo, don’t be a party pooper,” Jesmine said as she caught up to Soraya. “You would have laughed at us if we did the same thing.”
“I don’t care anymore,” Soraya sighed, itching the side of her thigh from within her pocket. Her leggings felt scratchy all over. “I just want to get some food and go home.” She hopped over a mysterious puddle on the sidewalk, the others skirting the edges of it as they followed.
It was true—she wanted to escape the streets as soon as possible. Everywhere she turned, the smell of garbage and death assaulted her senses. Her nose was fried to the point where it didn’t bother her as much, but she still didn’t want to inhale whatever was plaguing the air today.
“Are you hangry?” Ahvi asked as she caught up to Soraya’s other side, kicking a discarded soda can that sailed right into a trash can.
Soraya grumbled under her breath. They passed by small outlets full of fast-food options, a food desert, if she had ever seen one, none of which smelled appetizing to her.
She hadn’t eaten anything all day, and her stomach was knotted up with hunger.
Everything just tasted and smelled nasty to her.
Even the acaí bowl she had for breakfast tasted like rotten, chemical-infused fruit, and she had to throw it away. Food desert, indeed.
Perhaps she had to take the holistic route—buying organic everything and cooking it herself. The only problem was that she didn’t have enough time to cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner during the week.
Ahvi slipped her hand through the crook of her elbow and leaned into her. “You are hangry. Don’t you worry—your big sis Ahvi will feed you. It’s on me since I hurt your feelings.”
“Keep your pity money,” Soraya said begrudgingly.
“It’s not pity money. I want to treat my very hungry, very angry friend to some good food.”
Soraya sniffed as she scratched her other thigh. “I’m not angry.”
“And me?” Jesmine chirped.
“Pay yourself, brokey,” Ahvi chirped back before addressing Soraya, “And okay, you’re not angry, but you didn’t deny that you’re hungry.” She poked Soraya’s cheek as Jesmine pouted on the other side of her.
“Fine,” Soraya said. “But if it’s not good food, I won’t forgive you. Ever.”
Ahvi smiled. “Deal.”
~
It was, indeed, good food. Who knew a BLT sandwich could taste so good?
Soraya’s taste buds were humming with pleasure.
She decided she needed to ask Ahvi where she bought that sandwich—it would be her go-to spot for the foreseeable future.
She briefly wondered what else the restaurant offered as she walked along the sidewalk, passing window displays filled with the latest fashions and trinkets.
She was getting all her steps in today. After Ahvi had treated both her and Jesmine to dinner, much to Jesmine’s delight, they headed back downtown on foot to do some separate shopping.
Ahvi needed to run some errands for work while Jesmine was off looking for a new video game to play.
Soraya had planned to buy some new clothes for the school year, but she didn’t like the texture of any of the mass-produced clothing on the racks. The stupid corporations must have found cheaper, slightly itchy material to peddle out to the public—anything to save a buck.
But she wouldn’t let corporate greed get to her—especially after her wonderful dinner with her friends. She had forgiven Ahvi, of course, and Jesmine was just being Jesmine.
Now, as she eyed the small indie shops, deciding which was affordable to her bank account, her mind kept coming back to the sandwich.
It almost rivaled the dinner she stole from Lestis.
And she did say rival only because she didn’t want to admit that anything that man gave her was extraordinary.
Although the chicken dinner was extraordinary, she wanted to forget about it, him, and…
the news story about the gruesome murder that may or may not involve Sorenth.
Another person she wanted to forget, who couldn’t even be bothered to give her a call. Or a text.
So she willed her mind blank.
Stopping at a crosswalk, she noticed how the slashes of golden hour painted the towering buildings around her. Everything above glowed in the warm Southern California light, while the sidewalks below were cloaked in shadows.
She watched cars roll through the intersection while rubbing her ankle against the back of her other leg to scratch an itch. Other people dressed in business attire joined her, all waiting for the crosswalk signal to change.
She mindlessly watched cars inching along in front of her, the pungent smell of vehicle exhaust making her nose twitch in distaste.
Wrinkling her nose, she crossed the street.
Walking quickly away from the main road of traffic, she followed the sidewalks until she came upon a familiar street.
Stopping in her tracks, she peered down the quiet road.
Cars were lined against the curb, the scene as ordinary as any other street—yet something about it caught her eye.
About halfway down, a familiar sign was jutting out above a shop door. It was a white seven-pointed star encased in a black iron frame.
A memory started to surface. She was here…after the night she had with Sorenth.
Before the memory could fully form, she took off down the sidewalk and headed for the shop. As she passed a brick wall, she stuck out her hand and dragged her fingertips across the solid surface.
The memory was trapped behind a veil of fog inside her mind, but she knew it was there…waiting to get out. A vague image began to rise before disappearing like a puff of smoke.
Meow.
Stopping in her tracks, Soraya was pulled from her mind back into the present. Looking down, she spotted a black cat lounging on the sidewalk, its back against the brick wall and its tail flicking leisurely back and forth.
Soraya loved animals.
“Why hello there, kitty,” she cooed at the street cat as she bent down to get closer to it. “I don’t suppose you saw me here the other night. I’m trying to…”
Soraya didn’t know what she was trying to do, but before she could continue her sentence, the cat narrowed its green eyes on her and let loose a terrifying hiss.
No matter how much she loved animals, they all hated her. All of Earth’s creatures had a very strong dislike of her for one reason or another. It kind of hurt her feelings, kind of a lot.
The cat sprang up from its spot with its back arched, hissing at her once more before darting off to hide under the parked cars.
Tsking, Soraya stood and looked up at the seven-pointed star with the word “Blessed” underneath it.
Her gaze flicked down to the shop window. It had a neon “Open” sign in the corner of the opaque glass. Walking over to the door, she read the words printed on the glass panel:
I’Dolen Hollows
Curious, she swung the door open and stepped inside the shop.