Despite the hour the night air was still warm. An abrupt cold front cooled the area followed by a loud crackle in the air. Rain startled to trickle down. Selene could feel her jacket stick to her skin as she pulled her hood over her head. She turned around and stared at the warm glow of the Pho 68 sign. To her dismay, Quang was no longer standing in front of the building. The walk back had barely started and she could already feel exhaustion begin to impair her movement.

I should’ve taken that offer, she thought to herself. Selene let out a long sigh as she stood underneath the shelter of an overhanging tree before continuing her march. Mulling about it won’t get me home any faster. She placed one hand over her chest, sorrow overcoming her as the fact that her turquoise necklace was now gone started to settle in. With her head down, she continued into the rain. The lights in the district had dimmed; there were more defunct than operating streetlights, and the few that were working provided little illumination for the vacant buildings that filled the neighborhood.

Now, where did I take that turn? Selene wondered. Her eyes scanned the area for that bordered-up seafood restaurant she passed on the way to Pho 68. But the darkness obscured the buildings’ features, making each one look like homogenous cubes from a distance. She stopped at a crosswalk. The vibrant red of the traffic light was almost blinding in the pitch-black night. A single car waited at the opposite end, shaking as if it were about to fall apart. The brightness of the headlights made Selene turn away as she pressed the crosswalk button. The orange hand remained as the traffic light for the car’s lane turned green.

Is this guy going to move or not? Selene became uneasy by the vehicle’s lack of movement.

The crosswalk light turned white. Selene’s plod became a brief dash; against her better judgement she turned towards the vehicle as she made her way through the crossing. The car’s horn blared. Selene froze in the middle of the street, staring at the source of the sound. The old car’s window rolled down and a familiar voice shouted at her.

“Hey! Still trying to walk back?”

Selene let out a long breath while her heartrate settled. She walked to the driver’s side of the dingy sedan and saw Quang sitting in the seat. He rolled down the window and gave her a sympathetic look.

[https://i.imgur.com/gZb8ugS.png]

“You know, there are better ways to get someone’s attention,” Selene said as she leaned forward, peering at Quang. The scent of synthetic evergreen overcame the earthy aroma of the rain.

“I’m guessing that’s a ‘yes’ then, eh?” Quang replied with a straight face.

Without another word she went around the car and entered through the passenger door. After closing it, she reached over and fastened her seatbelt and proceeded to cross her arms. The air conditioning blasted directly at her, chilling her entire body and sending the phony odor directly into her nostrils.

“Sorry about the mess. I don’t usually have people ride in here with me.” Quang reached over to the passenger side dashboard and wadded up the fast-food wrappers and napkins scattered across it before tossing them into the backseat.

“I’ve seen worse.”

“Thanks. Nice to know I’m not the worst.” With the larger bits trash out of the way, Quang set himself straight, staring at the road ahead of him.

“And you said you stay at Clearwater Avenue, right?” Quang asked he adjusted his rearview mirror. He flipped the switch for the windshield wipers. Instead of the wipers activating, the sound of a stuck mechanism hummed.

“Yeah.”

“Let’s see if I remember how to get there.” Quang turned the wipers off. He executed a right turn and headed towards the destination. Selene kept her gaze out of the window, watching the city’s buildings turn into a long blur as they moved past each block. The lights that crept out of the windows of the residential apartments created long glowing streaks that broke up the night. As they moved further from Miller District, the city became livelier. Other cars drove alongside them while pedestrians jaunted along the sidewalk.

“I take a turn at this light, right? Like I’m heading to the beach?” Quang asked as he stole a peek through the passenger window. He could see Selene stare at the water splattering across the windshield.

“Yeah, I think so.”

Quang leaned back in his seat to turn towards his passenger. “You ‘think’ so?”

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“I don’t usually walk this far,” Selene replied, sinking back into her chair.

“Alright. Guess we’re taking a turn here then.”

“I’m sorry for making you late for… whatever it is you were doing tonight,” Selene said in a low voice. She kept her head down as if she had been convicted.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s not that important.” Quang paused his thought for a moment as he focused on getting through the intersection. “Okay, it is important, but it’s not like it can't wait.”

“Can you just tell me what it is you had planned?” Selene asked.

“Why?”

“I want to know whether or not I should feel guilty.”

Setting the car straight on the street, Quang took another look at Selene. Her eyes were like that of a child; her bright gray pupils were staring back at her as she waited for a response. A wave of nervousness overcame him, making him turn his head back to the road ahead.

“Okay, fine. I’m looking for someone.” After Quang replied, there was a long moment where the only sound was of the rain rhythmically hitting the outside of the car.

“And?” Selene stretched out the word.

“And? Why did you say it like that?”

“That could mean a lot of things.”

Quang shook his head. “Yeah. I guess it is kinda vague, huh?”

Another silence ensued. Quang’s heart raced; his eyes focused on the non-existent traffic on the road as he fought the urge to look at the passenger. He could tell that Selene was staring at him, waiting for a continuation of his response.

“Well? Are you going to give more details?”

“Fine. I’m looking for a friend. He.. uh… went missing about a few weeks ago.”

“What?” Selene straightened up herself in the seat in an instant. Quang tilted his head, startled by the abrupt movement. “Why didn’t you say that earlier?”

“Why would I? He’s my friend. You never met him. Besides, he’s not the kind of person that gets along with others.”

“Because that’s important, Quang. A missing person? And there I was, taking my time eating some soup, cutting into valuable search time.”

“Let me clarify a bit, alright?” Quang took one hand off the steering wheel, gesturing towards Selene to settle down before applying both hands to the wheel again. “He’s missing, but I’m pretty sure he’s fine.”

“You know that for a fact?”

“I’ve known him for a long time. He’s not the kind of guy to just let something happen to him.”

“But something, anything, could have happen. Especially if he’s here in Isla Lucrecia.”

“That’s why I know he’s fine.” Quang continued down the road. The distorted glare of traffic lights streaked across his face; memories running through his mind. “He’s lived on these streets all his life. Nobody knows Lucrecia better than him.”

“But you’re worried for a reason.”

“Yeah. He’d come by the restaurant all the time. Then he just stopped. Last time I saw him something was on his mind. I could just tell. He didn’t want to talk. Couldn’t even finish his food.”

“Pull over.” Selene gestured with her thumb towards a vacant lot coming up past the next intersection.

“Why? Everything okay?”

“No, everything’s not okay!” Selene blurted. “Just pull into one of those parking spaces. Please?”

Quang obliged. In a few seconds they were off the street and parked next to a row of closed shops. The only light came from the moon. Once the engine cut off, the sound of waves crashing on the beach provided a faint backdrop of sound.

“You remembered where you live?” Quang said as he raised an eyebrow.

“No,” Selene said with a roll of her eyes. “I mean, of course I know where I live. But I’m not going home.”

“Huh?”

“Let me tag along with you.” Selene said with a light tap of the back of her hand on Quang’s arm. He scratched the back of his head and looked out his driver side window, watching a few cars pass by as he contemplated the idea.

“Why do you want to help me anyway?” He asked after turning back around to face Selene. “You barely know me. I barely know you.”

“Because this is serious! If my friend was missing, I’d want all the help I could get. You got anyone else looking for him?”

“No. He has a hard time making friends. I don’t think anyone else would bother searching for him like I would. Disappearing without saying a word seems like it’s in his nature anyway.”

“Is he a felon or something?”

“No, no. He’s been accused of a misdemeanor here and there but no convictions. The guy just has a very… how can I put this?” Quang tapped his chin. “Vic has a very loud personality. And is very determined. Good luck changing his mind or convincing of him anything.”

Selene nodded. “Ah, one of those people.”

“Yeah. It’s not his fault though. He’s had it rough ever since he was a kid. I would know, too. I’ve known him almost all my life.”

“Well Quang,” Selene put on a small smile and gave him a friendly jab on the shoulder. “If you need a partner, you’ve got one.”

“I appreciate the offer,” Quang feigned a chuckle as he scratched the side of his hair. “But I don’t even know you. This could get dangerous.”

“You saw me handle myself back at the restaurant.”

Quang nodded gently. “Alright, you can have that one. That was a kick you could only learn from training.”

“Thanks. I’ve been practicing Hapkido on and off ever since I was little girl back in South Africa.”

“I was going to ask where that accent was from. And Hapkido, huh? That was some impressive form and technique you had back there.”

“Thanks. And I’m not too bad with a pair of tonfas either.” Selene twirled an imaginary pair of weapons in her hand as she sparred with an intangible opponent. “Are you sure you don’t want me to back you up? It’s not like I got anything better to do.”

Quang sat back in his seat, staring at the woman sitting beside him. She continued to throw out imaginary attacks and smiling as she did so. He recounted the events from earlier in the night, feeling the soreness in his back as he did.

I guess it wouldn’t be the worst idea I had tonight, Quang thought. Selene waved her hand in front of him, snapping him out of his trance.

“Hey! Your skills with a pair of nunchucks aren’t too shabby. Where did you learn to use them?”

“Glad you brought that up.” Quang cut the ignition to the car back on. “That’s exactly where we’re headed.”