Chapter 5 (Un)expected encounter(s).
Sunlight crept slowly through Mira’s bedroom window, stretching across the floor and climbing its way onto her bed.
Mira groaned softly.
Her eyes fluttered open as she stared at the ceiling for a moment, still half asleep. Eventually she turned her head toward the clock sitting on the small nightstand beside her bed.
10:00 AM.
She let out a long breath.
Instead of getting up, she rolled onto her back and stretched out across the bed, her arms and legs spread wide like a starfish. The soft mattress sank beneath her as she stared blankly at the ceiling.
Her thoughts slowly drifted back to the night before.
To the lake.
To the city lights.
And most of all… to what Kai had said.
Rebels are dangerous.
Mira frowned slightly.
How can he be so heartless?
She turned her head into her pillow, thinking.
I know he grew up there and everything… but it still seems wrong to talk about people like that.
Especially people you grew up with.
She let out another sigh before finally forcing herself to sit up.
Her messy hair fell over her face as she rubbed her eyes.
“Well,” she muttered to herself, “who am I to let a man tell me who I can hang out with?”
With that, she climbed out of bed and shuffled toward the bathroom.
A few minutes later she was standing at the sink brushing her teeth, staring lazily into the mirror.
That’s when her phone buzzed.
She glanced over at the counter where it sat.
A notification lit up the screen.
Mira leaned over and grabbed it with one hand while still brushing her teeth.
“Oh right,” she mumbled around the toothbrush. “I forgot I downloaded that dumb app.”
It was a social app meant for meeting people and finding local events around the city.
Curious, she opened it.
The screen loaded into a section labeled:
Velastra City Activities
Her thumb hovered over the screen.
“Eh, whatever,” she muttered, about to close the app.
But as she moved her finger, she accidentally tapped a filter labeled:
Least Trusted
The app flagged certain events this way if they might be fake or unsafe.
“Ah—no!” Mira said quickly.
The page refreshed.
The first event popped up on the screen.
A party.
Her eyes skimmed the description.
And then she noticed something.
Her toothbrush slowly stopped moving.
“…Rebel side of the city?”
Her finger hovered over the screen again.
She almost closed the app.
But then the same thing Kai had said before echoed in her head.
Rebels are dangerous.
Mira frowned.
You don’t even know anything about them.
She lowered her phone slowly.
“…Why don’t I get a first-person view of this rebel side?” she murmured.
Then suddenly her face turned red.
She grabbed her head in embarrassment.
“No, no, no,” she muttered. “I promised I wouldn’t get involved in anything.”
“I was just going to live a normal life.”
She looked back at the phone again.
“…But I can’t help it.”
She sighed.
“This city just has too much going on.”
Her finger tapped the screen.
Apply.
“Tomorrow’s the day.”
Later that morning Mira left her apartment to run errands.
The sun was already blazing overhead, and the heat of summer made the air feel thick and heavy.
Meanwhile, a couple doors down in the apartment complex…
Kai was already awake.
He sat at a desk inside his room with a notebook open in front of him.
Inside the notebook was a detailed drawing of a motorcycle.
A rider sat on it.
Kai stared at the page for a long moment before sighing.
“This is no good,” he muttered.
He leaned back in his chair.
Why can’t I stop thinking about that conversation?
He rubbed his forehead.
I can’t shake the feeling Mira is mad at me.
“All I was trying to do was help her,” he said out loud.
He stared at the drawing again.
“It’s not her fight to get involved in.”
Kai suddenly pushed his chair back and stood up.
“I should stop sitting on my ass and do something.”
Right then his phone buzzed.
A text message from a friend popped up.
Want to hang out in the city today?
Kai smirked.
“Sure,” he said to himself.
A few minutes later he grabbed his jacket and left the apartment.
Across town, Eli sat comfortably on the couch in his house, watching television.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The show was about police officers responding to calls.
Eli happily stuffed food into his mouth while watching.
His mom walked into the room and stared at the TV.
She slowly reached down and grabbed the remote.
Click.
The TV turned off.
Eli blinked.
“Hey!”
“Eli, honey,” his mom said calmly. “Don’t you have better things to do than watch reality TV shows about cops?”
Eli shrugged.
“Well… I have the weekend off this week.”
“I thought I’d enjoy it.”
His mom raised an eyebrow.
“By watching cops?”
“That’s literally your life.”
Eli blinked again.
“Oh.”
“…Okay.”
He stood up awkwardly.
His mom watched him for a moment.
He can be so weird sometimes, she thought.
Then she snapped her fingers.
“Hey! Why don’t you run some errands for me?”
Eli looked confused.
“What?”
“I’ll let you buy some cookie dough.”
Eli instantly came back to life.
“Cookie dough?!”
He sprinted over and grabbed the grocery list.
“On it!”
And just like that he ran out the door.
Meanwhile, Mira finally arrived at the supermarket after a long walk.
She stepped inside and immediately sighed in relief as the cool air conditioning hit her face.
“Self reminder,” she muttered, “never walk to the supermarket again.”
“Especially in the summer.”
She grabbed a shopping basket and wandered through the aisles.
Suddenly—
“COOKIE DOUGH!”
A man zoomed past her like a rocket.
Mira blinked.
The guy ran straight toward the refrigerated section.
Everyone nearby stared at him.
Mira slowly turned and followed.
When the guy grabbed a pack of cookie dough and ran again yelling happily, Mira snapped.
She marched over and grabbed him by the ear.
“HEY!”
Eli yelped.
She dragged him down an aisle.
“My cookie dough!” Eli cried as the pack slipped from his hands.
“Don’t worry!” Mira said. “You’ll get your cookie dough!”
She shoved him into an aisle and pointed at him dramatically.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!”
“Why are you making so much noise about cookie dough?!”
"You're bothering other customers by yelling like that!"
Eli blinked at her.
“If I’m not mistaken… you’re being pretty loud right now too.”
Mira froze.
An employee appeared behind her.
“Ma’am,” he said politely, “if you don’t lower your voice we’ll have to escort you out.”
Mira’s face turned red instantly.
“Oh.”
“…Sorry.”
Eli scratched his head.
“I’m sorry too,” he said. “I just really wanted cookie dough.”
Mira sighed.
“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude.”
She held out her hand.
“Let’s restart.”
“My name’s Mira.”
Eli shook her hand.
“Eli.”
Mira smiled.
“Have you lived here a long time?”
“Yeah,” Eli said. “My whole life.”
“Good,” Mira said.
“Then do you know where the flour is?”
Eli thought.
“I think it’s aisle six.”
“I can show you.”
“Lead the way,” Mira said.
While they walked, Kai entered the supermarket from the front doors.
“Maybe I’ll grab a drink before heading to the city,” he muttered.
As he walked past the magazine stand near the entrance, something caught his eye.
A model on the cover of a fashion magazine.
Kai stopped.
“…Dang,” he whispered.
“She’s hot.”
At the same moment, Mira and Eli walked past the same stand.
Mira suddenly ran over.
“OMG!”
“This girl is so pretty!”
Eli looked.
“…Yeah she is.”
“Some people just have it easy,” Mira sighed.
Kai was already walked away by then.
Eli tapped Mira’s shoulder.
“Stop getting distracted.”
“Do you want flour or not?”
“Oh right!” she said quickly.
They reached aisle six.
Mira grabbed the flour and turned back to Eli.
“Thanks for helping me.”
“No problem.”
Mira thought for a moment.
“Hey… I’m kinda bored.”
“If you’re not busy, want to go downtown with me?”
Eli blinked.
“…Sure.”
“That sounds fun.”
Then he suddenly remembered something.
“Wait. You asked earlier if I’ve lived here long.”
“Are you new here?”
“Yep!” Mira said.
“I moved here recently to start a new life away from my parents.”
Eli grinned.
“Trouble child?”
“No,” Mira said proudly.
“I’m the golden child.”
“My parents’ little angel.”
Eli laughed.
“Oh really?”
“Really.”
But then Mira stopped walking.
She spotted someone ahead wearing a bracelet similar to Kai’s.
She walked over quickly.
“Kai?”
The man turned around.
He was taller than Kai, with buzzed hair and pierced ears.
“…Do I know you?”
Mira froze.
“Oh—sorry!”
“I thought you were someone else.”
A girl stepped out from behind the man.
“Hey Dax,” she said. “Who are these kids?”
Eli’s eyes widened.
“…Dax?”
“THE Dax?!”
He stepped back.
Standing in front of them were Dax Calderon and Switch.
Two highly dangerous rebels.
Dax shrugged.
“They thought I was some guy named Kai.”
Switch tilted her head.
“Do we know him?”
“Doesn’t ring a bell.”
Dax looked back at Mira and Eli.
“You’ve got the wrong guy.”
Eli saluted awkwardly.
“Yes sir! We’ll be going now!”
He grabbed Mira and dragged her away.
Once they were far enough away, Mira whispered,
“Who was that guy?”
Eli looked nervous.
“That’s Dax Calderon.”
“He’s a rebel.”
“And he’s the right-hand man of—”
He leaned closer.
“…Night Rider.”
Mira’s eyes widened.
“So that’s Night Rider’s right-hand man…”
He didn’t seem that aggressive though.
Maybe my theory is right.
After checking out their groceries, they left the supermarket.
“Alright,” Mira said. “Let’s head downtown.”
“Where’s your car?” she asked.
“Oh,” Eli said. “I didn’t bring it.”
“I ran here.”
Mira stared at him.
Oh gosh.
“Don’t worry,” Eli said.
“It’s only about a mile away.”
“That’s still far,” Mira groaned.
“Not if we speed walk!”
And he took off.
“Wait!” Mira shouted.
She hurried after him.
Eventually they reached the city.
Both of them were exhausted.
“My legs…” Eli groaned, grabbing his thighs.
“Mine too,” Mira said.
“Let’s find somewhere to sit.”
“There’s a park nearby,” Eli said.
“Please,” Mira said.
They stumbled into the park and collapsed onto a bench.
“Finally,” Eli sighed.
“My legs needed that.”
“I need transportation,” Mira muttered.
“This city has buses,” Eli said.
Mira turned slowly.
“…Why didn’t you say that earlier?”
A very pretty girl walked past them toward the fountain.
Both of them watched.
“She’s pretty,” Mira said.
“I think I’ve seen her somewhere,” Eli said.
The girl waved at someone.
Mira followed her gaze.
Her eyes widened.
“…Kai?”
Without warning she tackled Eli behind the bench.
“Get down!”
“Why?!”
“That girl is meeting someone I know!”
Eli peeked over the bench.
He screamed.
Mira slapped a hand over his mouth.
“What was that for?!”
“That’s Kai!” Eli whispered.
“You know Kai?” Mira said.
“Yeah! I work with him!”
“So do I!” Mira said.
“Wait… you’re a cop?”
“No, I work with him at a café!”
“Wow,” Eli said.
“What a coincidence.”
Mira narrowed her eyes.
“But who’s that girl?”
They watched as Kai and the girl walked away.
“Let’s follow them,” Mira whispered.
“No way,” Eli said.
“C’mon it'll be fun.”
“… Ugh fine.”
And just like that, they followed Kai across the city.
From a bakery…
To the aquarium…
All the way to the boardwalk.
But they learned absolutely nothing.
By sunset they collapsed onto another bench.
“Well,” Mira sighed.
“We learned a whole lot of nothing.”
“Still,” Eli said. “That was fun.”
"Yeah, and it was pretty hilarious watching Kai try to be all cool around a girl." Mira said.
A voice suddenly spoke behind them.
“What was that now?”
They both jumped.
Kai stood behind them.
“WHEN DID YOU GET HERE?!” Eli screamed.
“Don’t worry about that,” Kai said.
“But I’m pretty sure I heard you say you were following me?”
Mira pointed at Eli.
“His idea!”
“Hey!” Eli said. “It was your idea!”
Kai crossed his arms.
“You know stalking people is a crime, right?”
“I’m sorry,” Eli said quickly.
“Me too,” Mira added.
Kai stared at them.
Then burst out laughing.
“Hahaha!”
“You should see your faces!”
Mira crossed her arms in disappointment.
“Who was that girl?”
Kai shrugged.
“She’s just a friend.”
“We were catching up, don't worry-"
Then he shouted dramatically,
“-I’m still on the market ladies!”
Mira facepalmed.
“You’re embarrassing.”
Eli stood up.
“Hey! Me too! I’m single! Hit me up!”
“GUYS!” Mira shouted.
“I am not associated with these two!”
Kai and Eli laughed.
Eventually Mira started laughing too.
Kai wiped a tear from his eye.
“Say, since when did you two become friends?”
Mira shrugged.
“Long story.”
“Another time.”
The three of them sat together watching the sunset over the ocean.
Kai leaned back slightly on the bench, stretching his arms behind his head while Eli sat forward rubbing his still-sore legs. Mira watched the water for a moment before something caught her attention.
She glanced down at Kai’s wrist.
The bracelet he was wearing.
She tilted her head a little.
“Hey Kai,” Mira said casually.
Kai looked over at her. “Yeah?”
She pointed at his wrist. “What’s with the bracelet?”
Kai looked down at it like he had almost forgotten he was wearing it. It was a simple band, nothing flashy, but the color was deep and distinct compared to most jewelry people wore around the city.
“Oh this?” Kai said with a shrug. “Honestly I just bought it randomly.”
“Randomly?” Mira asked.
“Yeah,” Kai said. “I’ve seen a lot of people wearing bracelets like this recently, it looked cool so I figured why not.”
Eli suddenly snapped his fingers.
“Oh wait,” he said, leaning forward. “Now that I think about it, those bracelets have been like the new fashion thing lately.”
Kai looked over at him.
“Right?”
“Yeah,” Eli continued. “Everyone’s obsessed with them. I swear I see them everywhere now.”
Mira slowly nodded.
“That explains the supermarket.”
Both Kai and Eli looked at her.
“The supermarket?” Eli repeated.
Mira turned and pointed at him.
“You,” she said.
Eli blinked. “Me?”
“Yes you,” Mira said.
“Ohhh,” Eli said after a second. “Is that why?”
Mira nodded confidently. “Yep.”
Eli scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“Huh… makes sense.”
Mira looked back down at Kai’s bracelet again though.
Something about it didn’t feel right.
She leaned closer to look.
“Wait a minute…” she murmured.
Kai raised an eyebrow. “What?”
Mira pointed again.
“Your bracelet.”
“What about it?”
“It’s a different color.”
Kai frowned slightly.
“Different from what?”
Mira looked up.
“From the other guy’s.”
Kai blinked.
“…What other guy?”
Mira opened her mouth to answer, but Eli quickly leaned closer to Kai and lowered his voice.
“We had a little… encounter earlier,” Eli whispered.
Kai looked confused.
“With who?”
Eli glanced around before whispering again.
“Dax Calderon.”
Kai’s eyes widened instantly.
“DAX?!” he said loudly.
A couple people walking past the boardwalk looked over briefly.
Kai leaned closer.
“When?!” he asked.
Eli pointed behind them vaguely toward the direction of the city.
“When we were at the supermarket earlier.”
Kai leaned back in disbelief.
“Damn,” he muttered.
“The one day we’re off… he decides to come out.”
Eli shrugged helplessly.
“Bad timing I guess.”
The two of them continued quietly talking about it, Eli explaining the situation while Kai listened with a serious look.
Meanwhile, Mira wasn’t really paying attention anymore.
Her gaze slowly dropped to her phone resting in her hand.
The screen lit up again.
Notification Reminder
From the same app.
The event she had applied for earlier.
The party on the rebel side of the city.
The words glowed softly on the screen.
Mira stared at it silently.
Behind her, Kai and Eli were still talking about Dax.
But Mira’s mind was already somewhere else.
Tomorrow.
She locked her phone and slipped it back into her pocket.
The sound of waves continued crashing against the shore as the last light of sunset faded from the sky.
