As the trio got closer to the gates of Freeland, Sakiya noticed there was much more than just strobe lights throughout the night sky. “You girls sure picked a good night to come to Freeland!” Shouted Phobos as he slapped the reins against his horses to pick up speed. “Tonight, one of the founding fathers is throwing a big birthday bash for his eldest son. I mean this guy already likes to go all-out for his own birthday but this one, sheesh.” Phobos wiped his brow like he was wiping away sweat. Sakiya nodded at his comments as Kahree stuck her head out of the back window. The sellable merchandise and charms rattled in the back nearly falling over as two horses picked up their speed.

  Sakiya began her scoping out her surroundings right away noticing the large brick wall that surrounded the city. There was a long line at the front gate of people trying to get inside. What was stopping the crowd from going in? Wondered Sakiya. She was too far away to see. “You said there’s a big party tonight for one of the founding fathers? Who is that?” Sakiya asked quietly but direct.

  “For his son... Trayvis Kings’ heir to his empire is having a birthday party. On my goodness! Do you know what I just realized? I don’t even know you girl’s names. On top of that, you two don’t look like girls that work in the brothels... so why come here to Freeland?” Phobos’s line of questions came out in what seemed all in one blurb.

  The questions made both Sakiya and Kahree look in their driver's direction instead of the fireworks that burst in the sky. Sakiya cut her eyes at the last question while Kahree replied loudly, “Hell no! You thought we were coming here to be hoes in a box? No thanks, Mr. Phobos but I can be a hoe all on my own thank you.” She flipped her black straightened silky hair over her shoulders then folded her arms. “And my name is Kahree, with two e’s.”

  Phobos threw up his hands surrendering. “Whoa there! I didn’t mean to offend you ladies. I was actually giving you a compliment... obviously a pretty bad one.” The old man tried to lighten the mood but failed. As a result, he cleared his throat and said, “So what made you two come this way?”

  Sakiya also cleared her throat indicating she was going to answer this one. “We’re here to start over, that’s all. Any place where we can work and no one knows us, so we can start anew. Honestly, we ran out of fuel so landing here and meeting you was luck. We appreciate the help Phobos. Oh, and you can call me Sky. And that’s with one y...” She said with a clever smirk.

  Phobos returned Sakiya’s smile as she smirked at him. “I knew you girls were special and again you hit the jackpot because I just so happen to know just about everyone in town. I’ll help you little ladies get on your feet.”

  Sakiya nodded and returned her attention back to the line of guests. That’s when she noticed why the line was going so slow at the gate. Guards... They were checking the crowd for Star Children. As Phobos’s horse and buggy started to approach the gate and the long line of waiting guest, Sakiya could see how the guards were doing it. The same way Phobos had screened them earlier, with the essence stones. The line was split into two with one guard on each side. They each held up a large piece of the metallic stone close to the guest’s face. As long as it didn’t glow, the person was allowed to enter. The guests weren’t checking for weapons, drugs or any other contraband. Just the Children of the Stars... That notion made Sakiya sick to the stomach.

  “Whoa there, girls!” Phobos pulled his brown leather reins to stop the horses at the gate. He passed by the large crowd of waiting guests straight to the front of the line. The two guards both turned around in excitement. “Hey fellas! It’s the Jamerson brothers!” Phobos handed the reins to Sakiya before diving in the back of his wagon. A few moments later, he came back with two brown sacks that appeared to be filled halfway with something. He threw the two sacks at the brothers and told them, “Enjoy boys! I’ll have more where that came from later.”

  The two men walked up to Phobos’s side and both shook his hand. The merchant then tucked the paper money into his small pocket on his vest. Sakiya watched the whole transaction and thought there was more to Phobos than meets the eye. As the brothers walked back to their posts one shouted, “Open the gate! Phobos the Merchant is here!” Again, Sakiya glanced at her driver as he waved thanks to the guards.

  Phobos winked at Sakiya as he pulled what looked like a rolled cigarette from a small box with his lips. He patted down his pockets looking for a lighter. “You got a light?” Sakiya nearly choked on the question. Just then Kahree stuck her hand out of the back with a lighter in her hand.

  “You looking for this big boy?” Kahree statement in a seductive tone.

  “Thank you, little lady.” Phobos nodded his head as he lit the white cigarette. The aroma of earthy flower smell filled the wagon.

  Sakiya’s eyes widened in shock when she smelled the smoke. “Is that... Chunga?” Her face nearly touched his as she leaned in closer to smell the burning cigarette.

  Phobos laughed in excitement, “Why yes, it is! Here you want some?” He handed her the rolled dried flower with the lit cherry facing him. “This stuff is widely popular here and I always make a killing in profits.”

  “Oh, lord... Phobos you just made a new best friend. Sky loves that stuff. She’d rather smoke that smelly stuff than drink. True story...” Kahree huffed in the back as she waved her hand near her face.

  “Well, you’re in luck Sky! I make weekly visits to this party town just to deliver this beautiful stuff and other goods of course. But Chunga... I leave here with twice the profits.” Phobos reached over his shoulder and pulled out another smaller brown sack this time. “Here, Sky you can have this on me. For some reason, I’ve really taking a liking to you two... There’s just something about ya’ll. I believe in coincidences, you know. It’s how I’ve managed to live a good life. If you’re serious about looking for work in a decent place, I know where to take you... sort of.”

  “Lead the way...” Sakiya said while coughing after she exhaled a large cloud of smoke. She turned attention back to the crowd that filled the stone paved streets. There were acrobats doing flips and trips while throwing balls in the air. There were large groups of people pouring in and out of the local stores and bars. The bright colors from the fireworks filled the night sky with different shapes and figures. One resembled a gigantic birthday cake with the words happy birthday Trayvis Jr underneath. Phobos had to tread lightly through the crowd so he wouldn’t hit anyone.

  The local store buildings were only two stories high. Three to four stores were linked together before being separated by a paved street. In one of the allies, Sakiya saw a couple making out. If they were trying to be discreet, they weren’t. Street lanterns connected by rope lit up the street perfectly to where the trio could see to the far end. There was a large sign at the end that read, ‘Green Stone District This Way’. The sign pointed to the left, which was the direction Phobos turned. Right away, the girls learned what the Green Stone District was. There was a big green glowing sign of a naked woman. She was bent over blowing a kiss... The sign read ‘come and fulfill your wildest dreams with us’. Men of all ages flooded inside all green painted building. Some women, couples, and even creatures were among the participates. Two large bodyguards stood close by the entrance as the customers came in and out.

  “That’s the brothel you thought we were here for?” Sakiya asked pointing at the crowded green building as Phobos strode by.

  He coughed into his hand before replying. “Well, no. Actually, there’s been an uptick in girls pouring in here. I believe they’re told to come here on some type of false promise or something.” Phobos shook his head like he was disappointed.

  Kahree stood up in the back and grabbed on to Phobos’s shoulders. “What do you mean, false promise?”

  “Well, you see this town here is one whole playground. The town is about business and making their customers happy. It’s simple really, supply and demand. I hear about of rumors that float around here and well there’s been a lot of upscale crazy stuff happening among the elite families. You’ve heard of TK Merchandise, right?”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “You mean the guy who specializing in customization just about anything? TK also has a crazy insane clothes and jewelry line. Why bring up TK Merchandise?” Kahree asked her driver again.

  Sakiya answered the question. “TK stands for Trayvis Kings...” Phobos turned to his passenger then nodded in agreement. Sakiya decided to make a mental note to all of what she’s learn. Just from this short ride through this town, she discovered there was a lot to unpack. Sakiya decided to take the risk and ask the burning question that she needed answered sooner than later. “I saw that the entrance the guards were checking everyone with those metallic stones. Is there a market for those kinds of things? The Star Children I mean?”

  Kahree looked shocked at her now cousin’s question. It took a minute for Phobos to respond. Almost like he was pondering whether or not to answer. “All I know is that the founding fathers of this town likes their privacy. They don’t like anything of the Star Counsel meddling in their business. As far as I’m concerned, they don’t want those special people in here just in case...”

  Sakiya noted Phobos’s blunt and vague answer. It was too soon for those deep questions, she thought, she needed to earn his trust first. Again, Phobos coughed into his hand. “Well, I’m sure that’s where the birthday boy and his people will be tonight. Along with the rest of the big wigs, I’m sure. The Kings are known to throw some pretty exotic parties.” The merchant pointed his skinny wrinkled finger towards another tall brown bricked building, “That’s where we’re headed... The best tavern and bar in town.”

  When the wagon came to a stop, a bright red neon sign hung at the front entrance. The girls stepped off the wagon then stopped dead in the tracks. Both girls looked up in shock as they read, ‘LaGon’s Tavern’. Kahree turned to Sakiya and said, “We’re definitely here.” Phobos noticed the girls’ reaction and asked if something was wrong. Quickly Sakiya waved off the question as they followed him inside.

  The bar was packed was customers. Every table in the seating area was filled to its full capacity. It was so loud from everyone talking over one another that the trio couldn’t hear the bell ring that hung on top of the door. Sakiya nearly ran into several people as they darted across the wooden floor to get back to their table. Phobos somehow managed to get the bartender’s attention. “Hey, Miles!” He squeezed his way through to the bar and slammed his palm on the countertop. “Hey, how you been brother? How’s the pregnant wife doing?”

  The young man Phobos called out to looked up from behind the counter. He stood up straight then extended his arms out wide with excitement. “It’s Phobos, the merchant!” He yelled back. This Miles looked at Phobos like he was his long-lost father or something. He had a nice medium physique, which everyone could see through his gray sleeveless t-shirt that was ripped down to waist side. His long brown locs were wrapped around into a tight bun with the bottom half shaven down to his scalp. Truly, what stood out the most was his brown eyes. They complimented his light tan skin complexion perfectly. He wasn’t too bad looking, thought Sakiya.

  The two men embraced each other in a firm hug. When Phobos pulled back he asked, “Where’s your boss?”

  “Which one?” Miles shouted back as he returned back to serving customers drinks. The crowd around the bar became noticeably irritated when bartender got distracted by his friend. “You know Ro ain’t ever here which is why Jordy took over. You know that...”

  “Right, right... well go grab Jordy for me. I have their shipment.” Phobos shouted over the crowd. Miles gave Phobos a nod as he handed two waiting customers their drinks. After handing out a few more orders, the bartender dashed around the corner into a double swinging door.

  The remaining customers Miles hadn’t served yet were heated... ‘Hey!’ yelled one guy. ‘Where’s our drinks?!’ yelled another. The crowd of customers that was just starting to simmer, started getting restless again. After observing all she needed to see, Sakiya decided to take action. She ran through the crowd and hopped over the counter. She placed two fingers in her mouth and blew as loud as she could.

  The noise from the whistle made everyone stop in their tracks. “Alright! I’ll be your bartender for the moment. I’ll be starting from the left to the right!” Sakiya waved her arms from the left to the right directions. Some people amongst the crowd didn’t like having to wait some more. “If you don’t agree, you can go to another tavern.”

  After a few minutes, Sakiya managed to serve almost all of the customers waiting at the bar counter. The people slurped their drinks as their returned to their seats satisfied. Just then, Miles returned from around the counter in a hurry but immediately stopped in his tracks. “What the...?” He was shocked how fast Sakiya handled the crowd and all by herself.

  When Kahree saw Miles’ reaction, she rolled her eyes and whispered, ‘show off blend in she says’, under breath. The bartender wasn’t the only person she managed to impress. A tall muscular man strode around the counter holding a white folder in his hand. He walked directly up to Phobos while eyeing Sakiya as she cleaned off the countertop from the drinks that slipped. He had beautiful caramel color skin and pretty light green eyes. He wore his hair in a short buzzcut which left every bit of his face exposed. This beautiful man wore the hell out of the white undershirt and dark blue jeans with black work boots. Who was this? Sakiya questioned in her head.

  Sakiya returned to Phobos’ and Kahree’s side as Miles took his spot back behind the counter. Kahree leaned in and whispered in her sister’s ear, “Girl, these guys are hot here. I’m just saying...”

  The young attractive man extended his hand out introducing himself, “Hi, my name is Jordius LaGon. Jordy for short.” Both girls stared directly at his hand before Sakiya decided to take it.

  She shook her head, trying to regain clarity. Sakiya slowly reached out and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, I’m Sky and this is my cousin Kahree.” Their eyes locked on to one another. The stare between the two was noticeable but not uncomfortable. Her light brown eyes stayed on his light green... Until it was interrupted by Phobos.

  “You know Boss, this little lady right here is looking for a job. You saw what she did right there, maybe you can hook her up?” The old man merchant poked his head over Jordy’s shoulder. Before he could get a word out, the sound of glass breaking filled the air. Miles looked up immediately and cursed as he dashed to the table occupied by all young males.

  Jordy let out a huge sigh before returning his attention to the trio. “When can you start?” Sky gave both Jordy and Phobos a big smile before shaking Jordy’s hand again.

  “Thank you, Mr. Jordius. I won’t disappoint you.” Sky turned around to her partner and gave Kahree a wink. One of their main targets just gave her a job...

  The young manager turned to Kahree, “What about you? You lookin’ to bartender with your cousin?” He pointed to her as he looked over Sakiya’s shoulder.

  Kahree quickly and without much thought throw up her hands, “I just drink the stuff, not serve it.” Sakiya gave her a look of death before Kahree coughed in her hand. “I mean, I’m better with a needle... I’m one hell of seamstress and I can pretty much make anything out of clothes.” She ended it was giving Jordy a big smile. Sakiya couldn’t help but shake her head like she was embarrassed.

  Jordy laughed aloud, “Well, I don’t got much use for one of those in here but my fiancé across the street does. She’s the daughter and future owner of the Pierre Sunborn Clothing Line.” He pointed across the street to the store with the large manikins. There were so many people coming in and out of the tavern, outside on the streets and everywhere else. It was hard to see anything let alone the manikins. All Kahree could do was nod...

  From behind, Miles shouted out to Jordy. “Boss! Boss, he’s coming!” Just then, the all the lights went out making the tavern completely black. The only light that shined through were from outside. A loud male voice pierced through the dark startling the customers with excitement.

  “Ladies and gentlemen! It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for!” said the male voice. He paused as two white strobe lights that was mounted to the ceiling pointed towards the back entrance. “Help me introduce the birthday boy of the evening! The man of the night! The heir to the TK Enterprise Empire! The one, the only Trayvis Kings Jr.!” The male voice drug out the word junior for as long as he could.

  Everyone’s attention was directed towards the back entrance. The crowd cheered and clapped as the double doors swung open. Out came another young man but this guy was dressed up like a prince wannabe. He had on a thick gold crown that was too big for skinny head with a even thicker red cape draped over his shoulders. The cape was fancy and looked expensive for it trimmed with black and white leopard fur. He swung a large gold goblet in between his fingers from side to side making whatever inside spill to the wooden floors. The prestige young prince tucked his other hand inside his pimped stripped coat and pulled out a large, rolled cigar. He placed it in between his teeth while flashing a smile. The TK Enterprise prince then quickly ran on top of the bar counter making everyone move aside. “Thank you everyone for coming! Now let’s really get this party started!”

  The crowd went wild... People from all directions ran up to the bar counter and greeted Trayvis Jr like he really was royalty. He flashed his pearly whites as he shook some of the people in the crowd. His dark tanned skinned and short black curly hair made him no older than sixteen. The whole scene for the Angels was ecstatic. In all their two hundred years of being the Star Counsel’s assassins, Sakiya and Kahree never seen anything like this before.

  Yes, let the party begin... Sakiya whispered to herself.