Crowd: A Dystopian Social Network Thriller (Final Draft)

Cake & Viper

"I could die for that smell," Rain said inside the hip Cake & Viper venue.

Benjamin shrugged. "It's artificial honey with a dash of lime. Way too much, if you ask me."

The glass-covered showcase flashed Rain's with carrot cakes, chocolate pieces, fair-trade cookies and lychee muffins. Once Rain and Benjamin picked their food, a waitress approached them with a service smile. "We have a sunny spot on the roof."

Rain touched her arm. "I'd rather avoid direct sun exposure."

"Our transparent umbrellas will protect you from UV light."

Rain exchanged a glance with Benjamin. "Why not? The weather's incredible."

Up the spiral staircase made of Mexico-style mosaics, they reached the rooftop 'garden' with fake palm trees looking stunningly real. Solar sandstones covered the floor while semi-transparent umbrellas shielded the guests from the rays. The waitress guided them to a table near the corner of the roof. "Your food will be ready in eight minutes and thirty-two seconds."

"Thanks."

Benjamin sat in front of Rain and stiffened.

"Are you alright?"

"Sure."

"If it's about the prices, don't worry, I get up to twenty-five percent discount today."

"Don't tell me this place belongs to Crowd?"

"Not sure if it belongs to them, but Cake and Viper does offer special deals for customers with a rank above three point five. Saw it on their profile."

Rain enjoyed the incredible city skyline while the neighboring guests cheered and giggled. Good vibes floated around like cool breezes of wind.

Benjamin leaned forward. "Geezer coming from eight o'clock."

A middle-aged man with gray beard and Viking-like pigtails approached the table and reached out his hand toward Rain. "Congratulations on your graduation. My daughter went to Crowd Community College and graduated last year."

"Oh really? What's her ID?"

She looked her up and found the woman. Freckled face, red hair, model looks. A graduate in social science.

"Yes, I've definitely seen her in the hallways. Too bad we never talked; she sounds interesting. Her score's pretty high, too."

Benjamin rolled his eyes.

Rain grinned.

The man said, "Well, I don't want to disturb your date. Have a good day, you two."

"You too."

The hip geezer returned to his table.

"Oh boy," Benjamin said, moaning.

"What?"

"Don't you think it's weird having perfect strangers walking up to you, congratulating you without knowing a damn thing about you?"

"I think it's a-freaking-mazing."

The waitress from before brought a hot ginger tea in a glass and a latte macchiato Italiano-style.

"Congratulations on your graduation today, Rain Cruzada."

"Thank you so much."

Benjamin observed the drinks with furrowed eyebrows. "I'm sorry, but we didn't order these."

"They're on the house. A gift for Rain Cruzada's special day."

"How did you—"

"Your profile," the waitress said. "We looked up your favorite drinks."