“It’s a nice night. We’ll walk there and take a taxi back,” Sophia pronounced when she finally relinquished the tiny hotel bathroom. “I found a bar about five blocks away. Not much else in this town.”
Every muscle ached, but Arena followed her roommate out of the motel and into the street. The air was too chilly to be muggy, a light mist sparkling under streetlights. Hawaii didn’t have a lot of fog, and Arena was still fascinated by the amount of it in California.
Sophia wore a pale green belted top over tight blue jeans and cream-colored tall heels. Arena wondered how she would make it five blocks, but she rarely saw Sophia in flats or sneakers even when she was running across campus to class.
Arena caught a glimpse of herself next to Sophia in a window, her head barely passing her roommate’s shoulder. She tugged at the white tank top under her brown leather jacket, and hoped she would at least be comfortable. Her knee-high leather boots over dark jeans meant that Sophia was less likely to comment about her attire, as Arena preferred flip-flops. The street lamps cast a weak orange glow over everything, even reducing Sophia to a dismal pallor. The blond streak in Arena’s thick, shoulder-length black hair had fallen over one side of her face, shading her features. Others back home often commented she looked a bit more Japanese than Hawaiian, though she had a more golden complexion like her father. Years of surfing had failed to improve her puny, flat physique, though she did have some definition in her shoulders.
They had gone about three blocks when the screeching of tires startled Arena. This small California town wasn’t like LA, but it was still creepy in the dark. A dark van sped past them and whipped around a corner a few blocks ahead.
A hissing sound preceded muffled bellows, and Sophia lunged for Arena’s arm. A man in dark clothes shot around the corner. But this wasn’t an ordinary man, and he wasn’t running. He was--flying? He was about five feet above the ground on what appeared to be a large skateboard. That can’t be possible, Arena thought. But she could see clear underneath him, and he crouched on the board clutching the sides, swaying wildly, barreling straight toward them.
“We have to get out of the way!” Arena tugged her roommate’s wrist. Sophia tried to shake her off, and Arena let go, flattening herself against the lumpy brick wall. Sophia finally pulled herself to one side, and the man on the board shot past them, yelling something indecipherable.
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Sophia was transfixed by the man on the hoverboard. Arena attempted to pull her into the alleyway, but it was like moving a ton of bricks. Several men in dark suits appeared around the corner and ran past the alley, intent on the man on the hoverboard. Arena didn’t think they’d been seen, but she pulled herself deeper into the alley, back into the shadows.
Pulling her phone from her pocket, she began to dial 911. A hand snatched the phone from hers, and dashed it against the ground.
The man was in his mid-thirties, stocky and fair, with a rough beard. A scar marked one eye so it drooped slightly. “There’s no need for that right now, sweet thing.” He revealed the gun in his hand and shoved Arena against the wall. “Not if you would rather have your lives instead of just a few minor injuries. Of course, anything can change, and I am not sure we want any extra witnesses.” He had a slight accent that Arena could not place.
“Please, just leave us alone! We won’t tell anyone, I promise!” Arena pleaded. Sophia looked at him wide-eyed, pressed against the wall next to her.
“That’s what they all say before going to the cops.” The man gestured at them with the gun. “Of course, somebody else found out about it anyway. You could be with them. Don’t want to leave a mess.”
The man’s head whipped up and he touched his ear. “But I got two… Oh, alright. I’ll be right there.” He dropped his hand and glared at the two girls. “Guess you get lucky tonight, ladies. Maybe we will meet again.” The man turned and took off around the corner in the direction of the others.
After he disappeared, Sophia crossed the alley to peek around the corner. The buzzing grew louder again. When the man on the hoverboard came from the other direction, he swung abruptly into the alley, ramming into Sophia. She slumped to the ground.
“Sophia!” Arena shouted, starting towards her.
The men on foot came around the corner. They fit every stereotype of mafia thugs or secret government agents--big, buff, and wearing black suits and dark ties. One of them shoved Arena back into the wall, not so much out of his way as perhaps a warning to not get involved. They followed the man on the hoverboard down the alleyway, sprinting but still lagging behind.