Someone shook Florence on the shoulder.

Florence blinked. The ache on her swollen knee, ankle, and half of her face faded. But blood leaked out from a gash on her forehead, sipping in between her lips. A metallic flavor tingled the tip of her tongue.

Everything around her blurred.

The honks of cars echoed.

“Stella, wake up,” someone said.

Florence blinked, cleaning up her vision.

She found herself lying on the ground, staring at the clouds above. A ray of light shone through the alley between the skyscrapers that towered over her, glimmering the steel and glass of those buildings.

A stale, rotten egg stench floated from a dumpster within the narrow path.

She turned her head to the left.

She widened her eyes. Her heart skipped a beat.

In front of her, Mai breathed in and out like nothing had happened. But, somehow, she managed to kneel down next to Florence.

“Stella, I’m so sorry,” Mai said. She hugged Florence.

Florence raised her eyebrow. “I am not Stella,” she said. Her voice trembled… but did not sound like her own, as if it belonged to Stella.

“What? Did Chloe hit your head too hard?”

“Pardon me, how did you understand what I just said? Who is Chloe? And how are you not sitting in your wheelchair?”

Mai pushed her pink-dyed hair up. Then she buried her face in her palms.

The gal in a zipper jacket with collars covering half of her face came into Florence’s view. The gal slipped her hands into her pockets, carrying a four-stringed guitar. On her shoulder, the kitten with black and white fur meowed. She slanted her body sideways, winking at Florence.

“Like what’ve you done, Chloe?” Mai asked. She wheeled around towards the gal in a zipper jacket.

Chloe pulled her hands out of her pockets. “Hey, don’t ya blame it on me. Because I’ve no idea what happened here.”

“Martine… why now?” Florence exhaled, digging her nails into her palm.

“This is wonderful. Like, just look at what you’ve done, Chloe,” Mai said. “Stella didn’t just lose her memory. She also went completely nuts.”

Florence rubbed her cheek, eyeing a glass panel of a skyscraper. A red-eyed gal with pale skin and hair in a white blouse and black skirt sat where Florence’s reflection should be. She carried a guitar on her back, similar to Stella’s. Florence tilted her head down, and the exact clothing of the one in the reflection greeted her.

The kitten leaped down from Chloe’s shoulder, landing on Stella’s stomach. Then the kitten sniffed, crawling into the pocket of Stella’s blouse.

“Stella? Are you like… okay?” Mai stood up. She stretched her hand towards Florence.

Florence extended Stella’s arm out, shaking uncontrollably, and grabbed onto Mai. Florence struggled to get up as she controlled Stella’s body like she was learning to walk again.

“Please, don’t tell me she became a baby,” Chloe said.

“I wish I was one.” Florence chewed Stella’s lips. She leaned onto Mai, letting out a muffled Stella’s cracking voice. Stella’s eyes dampened, stinging the nerves. “But I am absolutely not one.”

Mai thinned her lips. “Like… is it me, or does it feel like Stella is now a completely different person?”

” Ya are joking, right?” Chloe shrugged, putting her hands back into the pocket of her shorts. “Please, tell me what I want to hear.”

Mai put on a blank expression, staring at Chloe.

“Okay, I get it,” Chloe said. “When someone gets a concussion.” She pointed at Florence. “This usually happens.”

“I am as confused as you are,” Florence said. She wiped Stella’s nose.

“I’m not like… talking about that,” Mai said. “It’s just like… Stella seems to be a bit odd.”

Chloe rolled her eyes, hunching her shoulders. She stomped her feet across the ground, exiting the alley.

“Wait for us,” Mai said. She chased after Chloe, carrying Florence.

They emerged into the street. The crowds of Players bumped against them as they moved along the pavement.

“Pardon me, could you slow down just a little?” Florence asked. She wrapped Stella’s twitching arm around Mai’s shoulders.

Mai shoved through the crowd toward Chloe.

In the pocket of Stella’s blouse, the kitten twisted and turned.

“Should I be worried?” Florence asked. She raised Stella’s eyebrow.

The kitten popped its head out from the pocket of Stella’s blouse. Its whiskers caked in catnip.

“I really should reintroduce you to your kitten,” Mai said.

“I know who this is,” Florence said. Her muscles spasmed. She moved Stella’s palm towards the kitten, patting it between its ears. “This kitten is Sam. Isn’t it?”

“Wait, what? Like… is this some kind of joke?”

“It’s a long story.”

Florence, Mai, and Chloe entered one of the many skyscrapers an hour later. They climbed to the tenth floor, where a winding hallway with doors greeted them.

“This seems… familiar,” Florence said.

“Impressive; ya still remember this place after that concussion,” Chloe said.

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“What?” Mai waltzed down the corridor, past a poster plastered on the wall. “Like, how is that impressive?”

Chloe screeched to a stop, bumping into Florence and Mai.

“What now?” Mai smiled. She rested her chin on Mai’s shoulder.

Chloe looked from her right to the left. “Which one was it again?”

“It’s like the one on your right.”

“Cool.”

Chloe reached for the door, opening it with a creak.

Florence, Mai, and Chloe entered a room containing a round table stacked with pizza packaging boxes in the center. Metal utensils dangled above the kitchen sink along one side of the wall. The grease stained the stovetop brown, but the caramelized brown sugar and zesty citrus scent that wafted from an oven disappeared… More importantly, there weren’t any signs of burnt damage caused by the fire.

“Well… this is unexpected,” Florence said.

Mai sighed. “What?”

A gal came out of the other glass room filled with a drum set and the guitar with Stella’s name carved on it. She chugged a bottle of giggle juice down her throat. Her cheeks reddened. An alcoholic odor wafted from her body. Her braids swayed as she stumbled towards Florence, Mai, and Chloe.

“Lucy, at this rate, ya are going to get alcohol-associated liver disease,” Chloe said.

Lucy exhaled, raising her bottle of giggle juice into the air. Her braids swayed from side to side. She smiled at the pile of pizza packaging boxes. “Nothing bad… is going to happen. Just give me… another jug.”

“Hey, who’re ya talking to anyways? We’re over here. Not there.”

“Wait… what? It’s just that you guys smell a lot like those pizza boxes.”

“We don’t smell like pizza. Plus, ya have eyes. Ya can literally see us.”

Florence sniffed, shifting Stella’s head closer to Chloe’s hair. A savory, woody scent wafted from Chloe and tingled Stella’s nostrils.

“What’re you doing?” Mai brushed her pink-dyed hair. “Like, is this some kind of fetish?”

“Absolutely not,” Florence said. She shook Stella’s head.

Lucy cupped her mouth, collapsing onto the floor with a thud. She burst into laughter, spilling the giggle juice.

“I think we should go to the hospital,” Florence said.

Chloe shrugged. “Do we look like we can avoid it by going there? And let’s not forget about yours and Lucy’s stats.”

“Pardon me, how bad is it?”

“Bad, as all of your stats are low. It would be a miracle if they actually provide any sort of healthcare to you and Lucy.”

Lucy belched.

“Do any of you… Never mind, just forget about it,” Florence said. She pointed to the gash on Stella’s forehead. “You would not have any medication for this.”

Chloe pressed her palm against her hip. “At least you got one thing correct.”

“Hey, guys,” Mai said. “We should probably stop yapping around. And just start today’s meeting.”

“Pardon?” Florence asked.

“Wait… what?” Chloe spun around. “It’s… today.”

Mai nodded.

Chloe shed tears, wiping them with her fingers. “Sorry… but I’m actually a bit busy today.”

“Get rid of that smirk on your face,” Mai said.

Chloe pointed at the collar that hid her mouth.

“What? That’s exactly the point,” Mai said. “I could already feel it like inches away.”

“Pardon me, but how exactly do you feel a smirk, Mai?” Florence asked. She raised Stella’s eyebrows.

Everyone in the room looked at Florence.

“This is going to take a long time to explain,” Chloe said.

“Chloe, like, stop exaggerating,” Mai said. “It wouldn’t take much time.”

Lucy took a sip from the empty bottle of giggle juice. She reached into her pockets. “I forgot to bring my crystals or phone. Could you guys buy me a beer?”

“No,” Chloe said. “Does it look like I can afford it?”

Lucy flailed her arms and legs, squealing out loud.

“Great, now there are two babies,” Chloe said.

“What? Come on, it isn’t that bad,” Mai said. She kicked Chloe on the back.

Chloe spun around. She furrowed her brow, glaring at Mai.

“So, anyways about today’s meeting,” Mai said. “We really should like… start talking about it.”

Chloe crossed her arms and shrugged. She pinched Lucy’s ears.

Lucy screamed.

Chloe dragged Lucy up to the round table stacked with pizza packaging boxes.

“Pardon me, what is this meeting about exactly?” Florence asked.

“Lucy’s crippling alcoholism,” Chloe said. “Unfortunately.”

Mai shook her head. “We’re actually just going to discuss tomorrow’s band performance,” she said. “Since… you know, something popped up.”

Florence raised her eyebrows. “What is this something exactly?”

An eerie silence pierced the air. Mai, Chloe, and Lucy turned around, staring at Florence.

“I understand now,” she said. “It is me. Isn’t it?”

Chloe clapped. “Coagulation. You figured it out.”

“Well, to put it mildly. You actually composed the music for us, Stella,” Mai said. “But since now you’re calling yourself Florence or something. I don’t think… You know where your composed music is.”

Florence scratched the back of Stella’s head as she nodded.

Mai turned around. She lowered her brow, staring at Chloe in the eye.

“What?” Chloe shrugged. “It’s not like I know what changed about her neurons, which might have led to this.”

“Anyways, we’ve got to figure out where her composition is now,” Mai said.

Chloe hunched over the round table, slamming her forehead onto the stacks of pizza packaging boxes.

Mai glanced over to Florence.

“Pardon me, how do you want me to figure it out?” Florence asked. “Because, to be honest, I have no idea.”

“We’re so screwed,” Chloe said. She screamed, muffling it with the cardboard.

“Never give up,” Mai said. She patted Chloe on the back. “Like we can still do it.”

“Of course.” Lucy gave a thumbs up. “I’ll never give up my alcoholism.”

“I am certain that this is not what she meant,” Florence said.

Lucy groaned, slipping to the floor with a thud. She rolled to her side, pulling at Chloe’s shorts.

Chloe snatched a pizza packaging box, slapping it on Lucy’s head.

Lucy yelped. She curled into a ball, hiding her face between her knees.

Chloe snarled. “What do you want?”

“I just want to ask for a cup of water,” Lucy said. She burped.

“Go and get it yourself.”

“Come on, don’t be so hard on me.”

Florence raised Stella’s hand up.

Mai grinned. “You don’t have to put your hand up. Like just spit it out.”

“Absolutely… Where should I begin with this?” Florence put her hand down, rustling Stella’s skirt. “I… think we shouldn’t… you know.”

Lucy spread out her arms and legs on the floor. “Help… me,” she said. Her puppy eyes stared at Chloe. “I’m just asking for water.”

Chloe rolled her eyes. “Could you not give me that look, please?”

Lucy cooed, latching onto Chloe’s legs.

Chloe rubbed her forehead. “Just… fine. I’ll get it for you,” she said.

A smirk plastered onto Lucy’s face. “Could you also get me some peanuts?”

Chloe hunched her shoulders, walking towards the kitchen sink.

“Hey,” Lucy said. “Don’t ignore me.”

“Peanut?” Chloe waved her hands. “Go and get it yourself.”

Mai placed her palm on Stella’s shoulder, drawing Florence’s attention.

“Hey, by the way… do you still remember how to… you know, play a guitar.” Mai smiled, closing her eyes. “Please tell me you still remember.”

“I… actually never—”

“Like seriously?”

“Absolutely.”

Mai tilted her head up to the ceiling, gripping her upper arm. She groaned, pressing her lips together.

“Pardon me… I would like to apologize,” Florence said.

Mai sighed, placing her thumbs up. “It’s fine… We just have to find your musical composition and have you relearn the guitar within one day.”

“But—”

Mai pushed her fingers against Stella’s lips, hushing Florence.

“But I am not ready,” Florence said.

“Like, just do it,” Mai said. She smacked the guitar carried on Stella’s back. “We’re going to begin in three, two, one. Go.”