Honks rang throughout the street.

The ray of sunlight beamed down, reflecting on the glass and steel of the towering skyscrapers.

Florence leaned against a pole at the entrance of a staircase leading underground. A guitar strapped on her back weighed her down. Above her, a sign illuminated red with the words “Prince Underground Railway.” And, of course, she still found herself stuck inside Stella’s body. Stella’s legs trembled. The murmurs of chatter whispered next to Stella’s ears as the crowd of Players trudged past Florence.

The fumes entered Stella’s nostrils, tingling Florence.

On her right, Mai tapped her phone while holding the drumsticks. The screen stayed still inches away from her face. Her arm wrapped around Florence, supporting her.

Lucy gulped giggle juice from a new bottle with her cheeks burning red, resting her head on Mai’s shoulder. The guitar with Stella’s name carried on Lucy slopped.

“Where’re they?” Mai bit her nails. “What’s taking them so long?”

“Don’t worry about it. They’re probably fine,” Lucy said.

“How are you certain about this? Also, we should not be here,” Florence said. She clenched Stella’s skirt, turning her fingers white.

Mai shook her head. “Just ignore her, Stella.”

“What?” Lucy burped. “What did you say?”

“I am not talking about… never mind,” Florence said. She pinched between Stella’s eyes. “Forget it.”

Mai sighed, putting her phone into her pocket.

“Let’s go.” Lucy pumped her fists up into the air. “Who’s ready to rock.”

The crowd, without a spark in their eyes, minded their own business. The Players hunched their shoulders, trudging past her. She lowered her fist, whistling as she glanced up at the sky.

“Lucy, stop that,” Mai said. “We’re nowhere close to it.”

“Pardon me, what do you mean by rock?” Florence asked.

Mai and Lucy turned towards Florence, squinting at her.

“Sorry,” Florence said. She raised Stella’s hands up.

“Hey,” someone said behind her. “Ya shouldn’t be here waiting for me.”

Florence, Mai, and Lucy spun around.

In front of them, Chloe stood covered in soot from head to toe. Her hair was a disaster as if she had been through a tornado. Even the four-string guitar strapped on her back blackened.

“Pardon me, what happened?” Florence asked.

Chloe patted the bulge in the pocket of her jacket. “This guy right here. Wait… why’re we here?”

“Come over here,” Mai said. “Give me a hug, Chloe.”

Chloe furrowed her brow, leaning away from Mai.

Lucy sipped from a bottle of giggle juice. “So, now we rock?”

“Mai, did ya seriously buy her another bottle of alcohol?” Chloe crossed her arms, rolling her head. “Just… whatever, I guess.”

“What is rock anyway?” Florence asked. “I am certainly lost here.”

Mai carried Florence, dragging Lucy down the flight of stairs.

“I believe we should not go there,” Florence said. She mustered herself to push away from Mai. But Stella’s muscles contracted, restraining movement. Florence gritted Stella’s teeth, unable to do anything as Florence went deeper underground.

Behind her, Chloe followed.

“Come on, don’t be so nervous,” Lucy said. She slapped Florence on the back. “Florence, everything will be fine once you get on the stage.”

Mai squinted at Lucy.

“I meant to say… Stella,” Lucy said.

Mai descended to the end of the steps, entering a corridor stretching for miles. “It’s nothing.”

The perfume fragrance, mixed with a caramel-like aroma, wafted out from the terrace of shops. Players sat around the coffee table, sipping their cup of Joe’s. Some of them queued up and ordered from the counter. Others took their drinks from the store, joining the crowd trudging through the corridors.

“Pardon me, how are there this many coffee shops here?” Florence asked.

Chloe shrugged. “Why’re ya asking us?”

Mai shoved through the crowd, carrying Florence and Lucy along the tiled floor.

“Slow down.” Lucy eyed a cup of coffee in one of the shops. “Could you give me a minute?”

“Lucy, I already bought you alcohol. I’m sure you don’t need another drink,” Mai said.

She coughed, clenching her fist before the collar covering her mouth. She furrowed her eyebrows.

Lucy shook her bottle of giggle juice. “But… it’s not alcohol.”

“That’s not the point,” Mai said.

“I believe that we should turn back,” Florence said. “I might have forgotten something… important.”

“Yeah, unfortunately, it’s your guitar skills and memory,” Chloe said.

Lucy bobbed her head. “Come on, don’t say that.”

“Finally, something that I actually agree with you.” Mai pushed her pink-dyed hair aside. “Chloe, just give her a break or something like that.”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

They went deeper into the corridor, moving through the crowd, until finally, they reached the line for a security checkpoint, where the pink androids checked every Player passing through.

Florence swallowed. Then she gripped onto Mia, shaking her.

“What?” Mai moved forward with the queue. “Is something wrong?”

Florence nodded. “I think we should turn back around now.”

“Come on, everything is going to be fine,” Lucy said.

“Well… not exactly everything,” Mai said. “Let’s hope she is not here.”

“Who?” Florence asked.

Chloe stuffed her hands into the pocket of her zipped jacket. “This is going to take a long time to explain. Especially after your concussion.”

They moved forward, inching closer to the pink androids at the security checkpoint.

“You have to listen to me,” Florence said. “Get out of here now.”

“I know that you don’t want to do it. But you still have to perform on stage,” Mai said.

“That is absolutely not my point.”

“So… are you afraid of those pink androids?”

“Absolutely not. It is the least of my concerns. Well, not exactly… probably the second most of my concerns.”

“Come on, don’t worry about them. You’ll be fine. You’ve already done this dozens of times… before your concussion.”

In a blink, Florence, Mai, Chloe, and Lucy arrived at the front of the line.

One of the pink androids approached them with clanging steps. Its stature towered over everyone, glaring down on them.

Mai shoved her hand into the pocket. She pulled out a phone and tapped on its screen. Then she showed it to the pink android, winking at Florence, Lucy, and Chloe.

Florence reached into the pocket of Stella’s blouse. Stella’s finger wrapped around the phone, spreading a chill across her skin. Florence took the phone out, skipping a beat from Stella’s heart. With a tap, the screen brightened up. But… Florence stared at it with Stella’s brain freezing.

The pink android yanked the phone from Florence’s grasp. It tapped on the monitor, searching for her stats consisting of errors. She bit Stella’s lips, holding a breath.

On the screen, it showed Stella’s low stats in all of the categories.

“All of you can pass through,” the pink android said, returning the phone to Florence.

Florence breathed a sigh of relief. “But you haven’t checked all of us yet?” she asked.

“Seriously? Am I that hard to recognize now?”

“Pardon?”

Mai pinched herself between the eyes.

Lucy stopped reaching for hers and Chloe’s pockets as she stared at the pink android towering over them.

The pink android spread its arms out. “It’s me, Haru. Mia’s mom.”

“Wait a minute, the last time I saw you. You were certainly not… anywhere close to this kind of look,” Florence said.

“Why’re you here?” Mai shoved her phone into the pocket. “Please, don’t answer that.”

“Well, tactically, I’m dead. But, you know, I got brought back through transferring my memory into this body,” Haru said. She jabbed Mai on the side. “Since this young lady couldn’t barely pay for her expenses.”

“Plus, my friend here really just can’t survive on her,” Chloe said. “And, I almost forgot, she really misses her mommy. Isn’t that right?” She elbowed Mai on the side.

Mai glanced over her shoulder. “Stop it. Others can hear us.”

“Don’t be this embarrassed. I haven’t shown your baby photos to your friends yet,” Haru said. “Anyways, you should get going. Other Players are waiting behind you.”

Mai nodded, passing through the security checkpoint. Carrying Florence and dragging Lucy through it. Chloe followed behind them.

“Pardon me, why was there a security checkpoint here?” Florence asked.

Mai shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s better not to ask why they’re here.”

“Hey, Mai, it’d be nice if ya showed me your baby photo,” Chloe said.

“Also, I do certainly think it’s a bad idea to come here,” Florence said. She glanced over to the company of pink androids at the checkpoint. “Not just… because of them.”

“Chloe, I’m not going to show you those photos of mine,” Mai said.

They pushed through the crowd, going deeper into the corridor. Silence exchanged between them as they continued onwards. Minutes later, they arrived at the front of the entrance for a place known as the Coffee Bar.

“At this point, I certainly can not tell if Players here are addicted to coffee,” Florence said.

“How cares about this sort of stuff?” Chloe hunched over, kicking the door open, stomping into the bar. “Why bother saying it out loud.”

“Rude,” Mai said. She carried Florence and dragged Lucy through the entrance.

In the Coffee Bar, a dozen tables shook. Its legs screeched on the tiled floor. The lights flicked above their heads as the ceiling trembled. All the seats faced the stage, with a drum set and microphone stand vibrating. A gal in a hooded shirt sat in one of the chairs, her ginger hair tied into a ponytail. Although she slumped her shoulders over the table, tucking her head down, hiding her face. But… something seemed oddly familiar about her. She clasped her hands, twirling her thumbs.

A mix of caramel and malty scent wafted from the cocktail station. But, still, no one sat near it amongst the array of glittering bottles and cups.

Chloe dropped the four-stringed guitar on the floor. She turned around, facing the gal with ginger hair tied into a ponytail.

The gal with ginger hair tied into a ponytail tapped her nails on the table. “What do you want?”

“Nothing much,” Chloe said. “But is there anything that I can help ya?”

“Are you gonna leave me alone or what?”

“I’m just asking.”

The footsteps from the corridor outside filled the eerie silence in the room for a moment.

Chloe pushed her palm against her hip. “If ya want to order something, just tell me. And the music performed by various bands will be done during the evening at seven.”

The gal with ginger hair tied into a ponytail shook her head.

Chloe rolled her eyes, stomping to the cocktail station.

“Like we’re going to get a one-star review after this one,” Mai said.

“Whose idea was to mix a speakeasy and a coffee shop,” Florence said.

“Who uses that term in this day and age?”

“Pardon me, which one are you talking about?”

Mai moved Florence and Lucy to sit next to the four-stringed guitar.

Lucy slammed her reddened cheek onto the table. “Could I get some more alcohol?”

“You already got it,” Mai said. “Plus, the last thing I need is you draining this place’s coffer and my wallet dry.”

“Pardon me, Mai. Did you forget what I just asked you?” Florence asked.

“Alcohol.” Lucy slammed her bottle, which was half filled with giggle juice. “It’ll be nice.”

Mai pinched between her eyes. She spun around, walking towards the cocktail station.

“Come back… give me alcohol,” Lucy said.

Mai waved her hand. “Like… didn’t you hear me? I said no.”

“Pardon me, Mai, could you perhaps answer my question?” Florence asked. “What do you mean by certain terms?”

Instead, Mai slumped her shoulder, drifting past the gal with ginger hair tied into a ponytail.

“This is certainly great.” Florence slid the guitar off Stella’s back. “I can not believe I am still here in this body.”

Lucy sipped her half-empty bottle. “What’re you even worried about?”

“This place feels off. If I remember correctly, the Prince Underground Railway should have been twisted into a domain haunted by a ghost.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Lucy burst out laughing, smacking her fist on the table.

“I am being serious,” Florence said. “This place will eventually become haunted from now to maybe a few months or years.”

“Come on, don’t worry about it. That’s impossible for any of this to happen during this time of day,” Lucy said.

“You have to believe me. I saw the aftermath of it. It could happen any second now.”

“What evidence do you have for it?”

“I do not… have any evidence. But I am certain that it will happen soon.”

“Don’t worry about it. Didn’t you see the pink androids outside? They will stop this place from being haunted by preventing the Ability Users from dying and becoming ghosts. That’s if there are any Ability Users left.”

The gal with ginger hair tied into a ponytail coughed, cupping her mouth and turning her head towards Florence and Lucy. But bruises covered the gal’s face and…

“Aisling? Is that you?” Florence asked. She widened Stella’s eyes.