Saturday morning at the café was a special kind of hell. The why are there this many people before noon kind.
The bell above the door wouldn't stop ringing.
I had barely stepped behind the counter when a hand grabbed my arm.
It wasn't a normal grip. It was cold, and the fingernails….painted a matte, dried-blood black, dug into my skin.
"Where have you been?"
I turned to see Amelie. Smudged dark eyeliner. Dark long hair. She looked like she'd spent the night haunting a graveyard. Her voice always had this unsettling, low frequency. "I was beginning to think I'd have to go digging for you. I already have the shovel in my trunk."
"I kinda got kidnapped," I said, trying to shake off the image of her in a raincoat holding a spade.
A customer nearby actually choked on their latte.
"I didn't get hurt," I added quickly, reaching for my apron.
Amelie didn't blink. She didn't even look surprised. Instead, she slid her hand down to my wrist, twisting it upward to inspect my skin.
"No bruises?" she whispered, sounding genuinely disappointed. "A pity. Purple would really bring out the exhaustion in your eyes.."
I shivered. "Is that... comforting? Or a threat?"
"It's logistics, Eli," she said, finally releasing me. Her gaze dropped to my throat for a second. "If you'd died, it would've been inconvenient. You're the only one who makes a decent cappuccino here. And the only friend I have."
"Good to know I'm valued," I muttered.
The next few hours blurred.
By break time, my brain was fried. I retreated to the small table outside, hoping for a moment of peace, but the world had other plans.
Two girls were hovering by the brick wall, staring.
"Oh… that's him."
"Are you sure?"
"I saw the video… look, it's him."
I stared at the bubbles in my coffee, looking exhaused.
Amelie dropped into the chair across from me, holding her cup.
Then….a voice called out.
"Eli! Amelie!" We both looked up.
Lina appeared, waving as she sprinted toward us.
"The sunshine approaches," Amelie sighed. "How does she always find us? It's like she has a psychic link to my migraine."
Lina slid into the seat, shoving her phone into my face. "You're trending!"
Amelie leaned back, her pale skin looking almost translucent in the daylight.
"Oh," I rubbed my neck. "That explains the paparazzi."
Lina froze. "The what?"
"They were outside my house this morning."
Lina's eyes went wide, but Amelie just scratched her black fingernail against the table.
Amelie crossed her arms. "Paparazzi are just vultures with better lenses, Eli. If they get too close, tell me. I've been looking for a reason to test out that new soil treatment. It dissolves everything. Even the teeth."
Lina's eyes went wide, and I felt my goosebumps rise on my skin. That was just Amelie being normal.
"Soo!" Lina leaned in so fast her curls bounced. "Tell us the secret! The juicy, golden secret!"
"What secret?" I asked.
"How did you make Dylan Donovan apologize?"
I exhaled. "Remember the guy whose room I accidentally slept in yesterday?"
"The one with the handcuffs?" Lina squealed, clutching her cheeks.
"Yes," I paused. "That was Dylan. And… I may have seen him naked."
Lina let out a gasp so loud, she nearly tipped her chair over. "I can't! My heart! It's too much!"
Amelie caught Lina's arm without even looking. "You're so dramatic."
I sighed. "He actually accused me of stealing and refused to apologize. So I told him I'd tell the paparazzi everything I saw. That was why he apologized."
"Smart," Amelie smirked. "Soon you'll start threatening people properly. With real stakes… to their heart."
"Amelie! Be nice!" Lina scolded.
"What?" Amelie shrugged. "He shoul've have made him kneel at least."
Lina scoffed, tossing her hair. "Please. Eli could never be as scary as you, you crow."
"True," Amelie said calmly. "People just need the right leverage to break."
Lina leaned forward again. "Actually… forget Dylan. I don't care about him anymore. He's canceled."
I blinked. "You don't? You've had his poster since forever."
"I did," she said. "But no one accuses my best friend. Not even a handsome, hot, grey eyes god in a suit."
I stared at her. "Hmmmm."
Amelie raised a brow. "Didn't expect that from his fangirl."
"Excuse me?"