Morgan secured the cakes in a container box at the back and locked on his helmet before mounting on the bicycle to race down the street, gliding out of town square. In less than an hour, he got through two birthday parties and that clerk by the Salvi Motel, whose idea of a Friday night was wine and one whole strawberry shortcake. The last stop was city hall.

He left the bike by the steps, the usual spot, and went straight for the Mayor’s office. Ms. Amelia, the mayor's secretary, greeted him when she saw him walking down the hall. The woman with short gray hair and cat’s eye glasses, greeted him with a warm smile, telling him that the mayor would be happy to see him. Not him specifically, but the banana caramel cake, of course. It’s the mayor’s favorite, and he orders it every week.

The mayor’s office looked the same as it had for the past five years, with little to no change at all. The dark wood chairs and desk contrast greatly against the white walls and marble flooring. The large chandelier hanging in the middle of the ceiling, adorned with hundreds of small, bright crystals, creates a shining centerpiece.

"The oracle was wrong the last time, and her vision cost me my family." The mayor sounded stern, which is quite unusual. He always had a jolly tone when he spoke. "And now, I should place faith in their visions again?"

"She warned me you’d say that. They’re really just crossing their fingers that you would listen." It was a woman’s voice. It is not everyday that Morgan hears someone speak to the mayor as straightforwardly as she does. It was difficult to even catch a glimpse of this woman with the high-winged chair she is sitting on blocking the view. "'I’m just here as a messenger. Just so you know, the High Garden shares their sentiment. With another blood moon coming, everyone’s anxious. They think they’re on the move. The Darkrownes. Like I said, I’m just here to deliver that message, but it’s not the main reason. It’s him."

"Then consider us warned." The hostility in the mayor’s answer was undeniable. "Ah, Mordred!" The mayor quickly changed to his usual cheery demeanor. It’s the wrong name again, but Morgan gave up on correcting him a long time ago. "I have been expecting you. You can leave it here by my desk."

Morgan placed the box on the spot the mayor was pointing to, and the exact amount of payment was already waiting for him. It was going to be a quick glance, but Morgan tried his best to see who the mayor was having a conversation with. It was a young woman who was sitting there. Her long hair was tied neatly in a singular braid that draped down her chest over her flashy, patterned blouse. She may be just a few years older than him, but she sounded way more mature in the way she spoke. Morgan saw himself out, slowing down his pace to eavesdrop just a little more.

"What are they afraid of? That man is locked away." The mayor's voice has changed back to its stern and commanding tone. "The Chains of Prometheus. He would not be able to break it however he tries."

"Like I said, I'm just a messenger," the woman said again. "Regardless. You know more than I do that the words of the Oracle of Arcana are never wrong. It's how they're interpreted that makes a mess out of things."

Nothing made any sense to him, but he shouldn’t be eavesdropping in the first place. "It’s all good, Ms. Amelia. I’ll just see you next week again."

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Mrs. Amelia went to get something," answered a familiar voice that had Morgan on alert. Kira was standing by the door, had her back against the wall, and was thumping her feet in boredom. "Is Lolo still in the middle of the meeting?" Morgan opened his mouth to answer but only managed to nod his head. Kira pursed her lips, unintentionally making Morgan’s knees weak. "I’ll just head home, I guess. Lolo ordered cake again, didn’t he? I’m gonna have to remind him about his blood sugar. No offense, love your cafe, but he really needs to watch what he is eating."

Morgan could feel his cheeks flushing in awe, and he realized it had already been more than a minute and he had yet to answer Kira’s question. At least he was able to nod his head again.

Kira had a blank look on her face. She must be thinking seriously about something because she did not care to notice just how much Morgan was staring at her. And then it was the other way around. Kira had noticed, and she glanced curiously and smiled, but Morgan failed to notice that she already knew he was looking at her.

"Ever felt like things are going from bad to worse with every move you make?" It seemed like she was just thinking out loud to herself. "How about you? Any troubles lately?" she asked, tilting her head and smiling.

"I guess nothing more than usual," Morgan said. Even if he could tell her about it, he wasn’t sure where to begin. The weird things happening to him, how worried he is for Matt, or that he doesn’t know if his face has gone red.

"Most girls my age would only be worrying about boys and school work," Kira said. "I did something really, really stupid over the summer, and now it’s… it’s… everything messed up. Now one of my best friends is dead. I know how she is, and you won’t be wrong to say we’re more like best frenemies, but I grew up with her. She was one of the only friends I have... had." Morgan only has a few things to say about Sara, but they are not going to be pleasant to the ears of someone who knew her dearly, so he decided to not speak ill of the dead, especially now that tears are forming on Kira’s eyes. She took a deep breath. "I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m telling you this. She wasn’t very nice to you and Matt over the years."

"Matt can be a handful at times too. Sometimes I just wanna smack him in the head when he comes up with crazy ideas. But if something happens to him like what happened to Sara, I’d be a wreck too. It’s not your fault she is gone. Some psycho is out there, and that person did this, not you."

Kira chuckled. "Yeah, that’s what I’m feeling right now. A train wreck. And that person is not just a psycho, he’s a monster."

A piece of tissue paper with the Crimson Cafe’s logo was all Morgan could offer her right now, but it seemed more than enough to make her smile. "I don’t know if you’ve heard of the game next week. It’s just a friendly game with Sentra High before the official season begins. The basketball team’s really preparing for it."

"Janina’s all over it, and she's been practicing with the cheer squad the entire week too," Kira said.

"I’d love to see you there," Morgan said. This may be the chance he has been waiting for. "And maybe after the game we can go out to eat and celebrate." Kira was caught off guard and did not answer immediately. "You can bring Janina and Ced. I’ll bring Matt along." Morgan wished he hadn’t said the last few things, but his nerves got the better of him. He was almost successful in asking her out, but now he just invited her to a disaster.

"Or just the two of us," Kira answered to Morgan’s surprise. "But you’ll have to win the game first, of course."

Butterflies were fluttering in his stomach, and he was smiling so wide with no idea how to stop himself from doing so. Thankfully, Ms. Amelia’s voice announced her return, and Morgan would not have to explain to Kira why he was being like that.

"When you said you found a couple of things, I didn’t think it’d be a whole box of 'em." Matt was walking alongside her carrying a large cardboard box filled to the brim.

Morgan remembered that Matt would be at City Hall too, but before he could greet his best friend, he felt a jolting pain from his head that went straight down his feet. His vision started to fade as his head went light. The ground he was standing on seemed to have disappeared, sending him to the floor, where he passed out.