West District.
Amber Valley. 11:00 pm
Slow blues drifted through the room. Stars shimmered across the walls, and a small fish tank gleamed with its blue light. Lucas finished the last of his work. Ashley sat beside him. She scrolled and typed on her phone. But suddenly, a knock came at the door. Ashley and Lucas leered at each other. The knock came, harder this time. She flinched. "You going to get that?" he asked. "Why don't you get it?" Ashley argued. "It's your house." he teased. "Yeah—but I'm scared." she whispered. "OK." hegot up. Once he reached the door, he peeped through the peephole. A man stood outside with a delivery bag that hung from his shoulder, and long curls hid his eyes. "Hey, Ashley. Did you order some pizza?" he asked. Ashley gasped. "Oh yeah! I totally forgot." She jolted to the door. Once she opened it, cold air flooded in through the hallway. The man with the delivery bag stood silently. "Hey, how are you?" Ashley greeted. The man reached into the delivery bag and pulled out two large pizza boxes. "That'll be twenty bucks." the man said with a lazy tone. Ashley fumbled in her bag for her wallet. Lucas just watched the man silently. "Damn, you're not gonna greet back?" he asked. "Do you got twenty bucks or not?" The man growled. "Whatever, here's twenty bucks and just leave." she muttered. The man accepted it and left the two pizza boxes on the ground. Without hesitation, he left.
"What the fuck is his problem?" Lucas asked. "Doesn't matter—let's go." She shook her head. They made their way back into her room. Ashley set the boxes on her nightstand. Lucas sat in his seat. "Hey, try not to think too hard." she said as she settled beside him. "We should take a rest."
"Don't worry. I'm just gonna complete the final stretch—then I'll leave." he replied. Ashley sighed quietly. "No, how about we watch a movie?" she suggested. She nudged the laptop toward him. "I don't know…" he hesitated. "Aw, come on—it'll be fun." Ashley persuaded. "OK… what are we going to watch?" Lucas submitted. "Don't worry, I'll pick a movie—but first, I'm gonna take a shower." She grabbed her towel on her way to the bathroom. "Alright, guess I'm going to wait for you." he said.
"Yeah—I guess you will." Ashley closed the door.
157. PINE STREET.
69 MIMIC. 10:53 PM.
Unrelenting Tension crackled in the air. Stephen sat still as stone; her eyes locked on his. For a heated moment, they just stared at each other. "Hey." he finally greeted. "Hey." Adriana replied. "What are you doing here? I thought you were dead." Stephen proclaimed. "I could ask you the same thing, though that care died a long time ago." she replied. "I'm sorry, Adri, I swear—I searched for you… I painted my hands red once they lied to me… Ah fuck is this real? Where's Antonio? I came here with Nio." Stephen stated. "Oh, really? Then how is it that I found you, and where is this 'Nio' of yours?" she asked. Stephen looked around. "Oh shit… we probably split when we were trying to leave." he said. "Yeah, sure. Same old Steph." Adriana giggled. "So, how've you been?" he asked. "I've been trying to adjust—you know, but I can't find the right one." she said. "So… you decided to adjust in the devil's pit?" he replied cunningly. "What? Besides, Six-Nine is way better than just sleeping at home. But enough about me, how about you? How've you been?" she asked. "I'd be lying if I said I was alright. But a man's gotta' do… what a man has to do." Stephen stated. "He's a married man? But how would his wife feel about his ex-wife chatting with him in a club." Stephen grinned, "Clubbing has nothing to do with marriages." he said. The DJ hyped the crowd up, and the bass beat through the floor. Adriana laughed softly "This isn't just any club—this is THE CLUB… controlled by the dominions, remember?" she stated. "Well, since we're in the Club, how about this married man treats you to a drink?" he asked smoothly. "Sure." she agreed.
"Let's get out of here." he suggested. "What! I just got here—do you know how long I had to wait in line?" she said. "Just trust me, Adri." He got up. Adriana hesitated at first, but eventually she took his hand, and they made their way out of Six-Nine Mimic. "So, where are we going?" she asked. "Tommy's, remember it?" Stephen replied. Adriana leaned into him. "Aw… I remember that place. It was the first time we went on a date." she said happily. Stephen's gaze softened as she wrapped her arms around his.
Cars lined the street, and people moved in scattered clusters. From across the road, Antonio stood under the harsh glow of Jack's sign. He leaned against the wall, and beside him, Amanda smoked silently. She pointed across the road, "Looks like you won't be needing my plan after all." Amanda said. Antonio pulled out his cellphone and snapped multiple pictures of Stephen and Adriana together. "Nah, this is all I need." he replied deviously, as he scrolled through the pictures with a faint smirk.
CRYSTAL AVENUE. 11:03 PM.
The sprinklers had stopped, leaving the lawn damp. Katherine paced around in her bedroom, her mind wrestled with her actions. Then a sudden cry pierced the silence. Katherine bolted from her room to Mila's cot. Katherine held her baby in her arms, rocking her gently, "Shh… mommy's here… shh." She whispered, she brushed a strand of hair from Mila's forehead. The soft sounds of the pacifier being chewed on created a gentle pulse. Katherine pressed her cheek gently against Mila's head as she dozed off.
Promptly, her cellphone buzzed. Katherine sat on the chair and gazed at her cellphone. She saw a message from Antonio. 'Meet me at 153 JACK'S. We have to talk!" he urged. 'Why? And where is Stephen?' she typed quickly. 'It's about Stephen.' The message appeared quickly. Katherine's eyes widened. 'What do you mean?! Toni, where is Stephen?' she sent, but no reply followed. She tried to call him, but it went to voicemail. A knot of worry settled deep in her stomach. "Motherfucker… he switched his phone off." she muttered. She rose from the chair and marched to Tokyo's bedroom. She knocked, but… No answer. "Tokyo, please—if you're awake, I could really use your help." Katherine called. She waited with Mila, her ear close to the door. Finally, the door creaked open. "What?" Tokyo asked. "I need you to take care of your sister, make sure she falls asleep." she said. "What! Why?" Tokyo moaned. "I need to go somewhere." she replied. "Somewhere like?" Tokyo asked. "It's your father. I think he's in trouble." she claimed.
Tokyo crossed her arms and scoffed. "Oh my God!… fine. But I get to come back home anytime I want for the rest of the year." she demanded. "What!" Katherine yelped. "Fine—guess you don't need my help." Tokyo responded. "OK, fine… but only four days a week." Katherine countered.
"Five days." she cleared her throat."Okay, five days a week." Katherine amended. "Deal." Tokyo cradled Mila into her arms. "I'll be back later. Their bottles are in the fridge." Tokyo returned to her room, while Katherine grabbed her keys and coat and left into the cool night.
WEST DISTRICT.
Amber Valley. 11:11 pm.
Lucas bit into his pizza as he scrolled on his cellphone. But then Ashley stepped out of the bathroom. She wore a nightgown. He froze, his eyes lingered on her, "You ready?" she asked. "I've been ready since day one." he said. Ashley laughed softly. "Too corny?" he smirked. "Anyways, what are we gonna' watch?" Lucas asked. "Destiny Awaits." she showed on her wall monitor. "What's it about?" he asked. "Enough with the questions, choker." Ashley teased. She moved closer. She played the movie, and a massive image filled the wall from the projector. Lucas leaned back slightly, "Your room is unique, in a chaotic way." he stated. "Chaotic, huh? I'll take that as a compliment." she said. The film began, and the room dimmed as the projector cast the opening scenes across the wall. Ashley slid onto the couch next to Lucas while she nibbled on a slice of pizza. The bass from the stereo faded, and the soft light of the projector highlighted her features. Ashley crossed her legs, and for a moment, the world outside seemed to disappear. But in this room, the tension of the city could wait.