“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 squeaked 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 up onto the sidewalk. She was 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. “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 get out of 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 trashcan.

Soraya grumbled under her breath. They passed by small outlets full of fast-food options, food deserts they called them, none of which smelled appetizing to her. She hadn’t eaten anything all day, and her stomach was knotted up with hunger pangs. Everything tasted nasty to her. It tasted like she was eating plastic or spoiled meat when she tried eating an acai bowl or a breakfast sandwich. Food desert, indeed.

Maybe she had to go the holistic route—buy organic everything and cook it herself. The only problem was that she didn’t have enough time during the week to do so.

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.”

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“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 tastebuds were humming with pleasure. She needed to ask Ahvi where she bought that sandwich—it would be her go-to spot for the foreseeable future, she decided.

She briefly wondered what else they served as she walked along the sidewalk, passing window displays full of the latest summer fashions and trinkets. She was really 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 shopping.

Ahvi needed to run some errands for work while Jesmine was off looking for a new video game for her Switch.

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 wasn’t going to let corporate greed get to her—especially after the wonderful dinner she had with her friends. She had forgiven Ahvi, of course, and Jesmine was just being Jesmine. Now, she was taking a stroll to help digest the delicious meal.

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 paused at the intersection and rubbed her ankle against the back of her other leg to scratch an itch as she stood among others dressed in business attire, all waiting for the crosswalk signal. 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, there was a familiar sign jutting out above the door of a shop. 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 it could fully form, she took off down the sidewalk and headed for the shop. As she passed a bricked 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.

Tsking, she looked up at the seven-pointed star with the word “Blessed” underneath it. Her gaze flicked down to the shop; it had a neon “Open” sign in the corner of an opaque display window. Walking over to the glass door, she read the words printed on the glass:

I’Dolen Hollows

Curious, she reached for the handle, swung it open, and stepped inside the small shop.