Palmborough. 4:30 am.
26 Benny St.
A quiet settlement on the outskirts of San El Zorro. Greenery crept through every street and corner. Inside one of the houses, Antonio sat motionless beneath the running shower, and the hot water cascaded down his back. Steam curled around him like smoke from a dying fire. He didn't move, nor did he blink. Then, his alarm clock blared from the bedroom. Antonio pressed his palms flat against the wall. The alarm rang… and rang. The water kept on falling. And Antonio just stood there… eyes fixated on the wall, as though it were the only thing left he could face.
WEST DISTRICT.
Amber Valley. 4:45 am.
Ashley lay asleep, curled up under her blanket. Lucas buttoned his shirt. He glanced back at her for a moment. He reached for his phone on the nightstand. A few unread messages blinked on the screen. He grabbed a cold slice of pizza before he went to the door. Quiet were his steps. Finally, he made it outside. He paused on the porch and smiled. Then he opened Dré's contact 'Yo, you still up?' he sent, walked down the stairs. His cellphone buzzed, 'Your balls finally dropped? Lol.' Dré texted. Lucas smirked 'Why'd you think I'm messaging you, fool?' he sent. "Ha… Let's meet up at my dorm?" Dré replied. "Cool… See ya soon." Lucas typed. He slid the phone back into his pocket. The streets were quiet, just the faint rustle of trees swaying in the breeze. With his hoodie pulled tighter, Lucas left for ZUT.
Amber Valley. 5:30 a.m.
Tommy's Jol. Second floor.
A soft gust of wind slipped through the window as dawn light shone faintly into the room. Another breeze brushed against Adriana's face. She traced her fingers down Stephen's chest. "Good morning, skybird." he mumbled. "I think we overslept." She chuckled. "You think? not that it matters anymore." he said. "I wish this day could last forever." he sighed. "That's the last thing you want." Adriana said. "What do you mean?" he asked. "You're still a married man." she whispered. Stephen jolted upright. "Oh shit!" he hollered. Stephen buried his face in his hands. "Fuck… what am I doing?" he mumbled. Adriana hung over his shoulder. "What's the matter? I thought you missed this?" she murmured. "I did… I do… it's just… Even though this means the world to me, my integrity speaks no truth— our vows broken, does this make me the bad guy?" Stephen wondered. She rubbed his back, "Stephen…" she murmured. Stephen swung his legs off the bed. "I'm sorry, Adri, I have to go." he said as he dressed hastily. "Steph. Don't carry guilt for what happened." she stated. "How can I? I just broke our vows, and I broke my promise to God, I promised myself—that I left that life behind." Stephen whispered. "Don't dwell on it… let's see this as a reunion." she said. "Okay, but this stays between us. Hopefully, we can catch up sometime?" he considered. "Yeah, hopefully. I really wanted to see my little Tokyo." she murmured. "Would you believe she's turning eighteen." Stephen said.
"Yes, I would, that's my daughter. And do you even remember how old our Lucas is?" she added. "Yeah—why'd you ask?" he said. "Never mind… you've got greater things to worry about." Adriana whispered. "So, should I give you my number, or—?"
"Don't worry about it." she cut in, "I'll come to you."
"So ominous." he murmured. Suddenly, her hand wrapped around his neck, and with a kiss so tender, neither let go for a moment. Then finally, he drew back and walked to the door. "Truly, it was a blessing seeing you again." Stephen said. "Likewise." she waved. Stephen left the room and made his way downstairs. He passed through the diner. Outside Tommy's Jol, the early morning light bathed the street in pale gold. Stephen stepped into Red Sea Avenue. Guilt tugged at one side of him, happiness on the other—but he was indecisive on which feeling to trust.
153. PINE STREET. 6:00 am.
Jack's penthouse.
The top floor of Jack's Liquor. The interior felt like a dream. Stylish paintings adorned every corridor, a piano sat in the living room, and a large fish tank stretched along the long wall. Old rifles hung like trophies throughout the kitchen and living room. Kyle sprawled across the couch, on his cellphone, and Abigail lay flat on the carpet, smoking a joint. Kay padded through the hallway in her towel. "Abigail, when are you going home?" Kyle yawned. "Huh? What do you mean? I'm already at home." She exhaled smoke. Kyle laughed. "Stop fucking around. Aren't your parents gonna, you know, get worried or something?" he said. "Please, I don't even stay with my parents anymore." she said. "Oh shit, so where do you stay?" he asked. "Roman Estates." she answered.
Nikki walked through the living room with Mark. "What are y'all talking about?" Nikki asked. She took a puff from the joint in Abigail's hand. "Nothing. What's up, Mark?" Kyle nodded. "Sup', what you say?" Mark greeted. "Can't complain… what brings you here? Lemme guess, you don't even want to be sober anymore, huh?" Kyle said. "I was helping Nikki close up—"
"Please." Nikki cut him off. "You were just helping yourself to the bar." she exposed. "Ain't nothing new with you, huh?" Kyle said. Mark raised his hands. "Wait—I can explain." he blurted out. "Nee, jy's 'n kombuisvark." Nikki insulted. The room erupted, Abigail nearly choked, and Kyle laughed, while Mark just shook his head like a man defeated by his own reputation. "What?" Mark blinked. Kay stood in the doorway; her silky dress complemented her beauty. "What's the joke?" she asked. "Nothing. Where're you going?" Nikki replied. Kay switched the TV on. "A memorial service." she said. "Damn. Who died?" Kyle asked.Kay poured herself a glass of wine from the wall unit. "Dr. Richard… long story short, he landed in an accident—and got turned into minced meat." She swirled her glass. Mark's eyes widened. "That's fucked…" he muttered as he snatched the joint from Nikki. "You kiddos can stay here. I'm already late." Kay strode to the door. Nikki scoffed. "Sy dink sy's warm." she dissed. "Wait… seriously? What are you saying?" Mark said, Abigail laughed. "Ziyakhala." Kyle smirked. "Whatever… I'm off to sleep. Wake me up at 3 p.m.—if you dare." she marched away. "Guess I have to go home now." Abigail yawned. "Duh! You should've left hours ago." Kyle yelled. "Awe… you don't like having me around?" she teased. "I never said that. It's just… I'm trying to sleep, and you're here. I don't really want friends around at times like this; otherwise, my mom's gonna freak out." he said. "I guess that's fair. But we're hanging out later… right?" she asked. "Yeah, sure." Kyle agreed. Mark rose. "Are you two love birds done? I'm heading out. You need a lift?" he asked. "Who me?" She asked. "Yeah, who else would I be talking to?" he joked. "Oh… okay, yeah sure." shereplied. Together, they left the penthouse. Kyle leaned on the couch, his eyes glued to his phone, the room suddenly felt quiet from their absence.