December was just around the corner and the weather slowly started to get chilly. The sun over the University of Gabriel's Gardens was setting as the last classes of that day ended. The groups of friends met on the school's courtyard, saying their goodbyes and elaborating plans for the weekend.
James Saints, an Afroamerican boy with a significant talent for writing, turned to the girl who just left the building through the main door. "Bye, Alexis!" he told her with a smile.
"See ya on Monday, Jim," Alexis returned the smile.
Even though Alexis attended the university for several months already, she still enjoyed walking through the courtyard, seeing the groups of students, hearing the rustling in the trees growing all over the campus. It was still hard to believe for her she actually studies.
Her last lecture for today was the American history. She didn't enjoy the subject as much as some other, but the young and enthusiastic professor could make it at least acceptable. She was, however, still hyped from the early morning literature class where the professor proclaimed her poem as excellent.
She was wearing a black blouse, dark blue jacket and a long black skirt with stockings underneath. The school had no dress code, yet nobody was picking on Alexis' old-fashioned dressing style. There was no bullying or stupid hierarchy. In fact, Alexis was able to find some friends; Jim Saints and several others. They formed a small group and often studied together.
In other words, Alexis found a perfect life for herself. All thanks to Gray Forrestal and his money - and also his generosity. Gray was never hesistant to bless his friends with expensive gifts, especially if these friends saved him from an immortal being disguised as the mayor of the city.
As soon as she left through the university's gate, she heard roaring of the engines. She looked at the university parking lot and immediately noticed a shiny black motorcycle with blood red highlights and a picture of red rose on each side. Next to it stood a girl in ripped jeans and leather jacket, holding a similarly decorated helmet under her hand. The wind mischievously played with her long brown hair.
"Diane!" Alexis scolded her. "How many times do I have to tell you this lot is for students only?"
Her sister smirked. "Who needs rules with a machine like this?" She handed Alexis the second helmet standing on the bike's seat. "Put it on, we're going home."
Alexis sighed and crossed herself. Rides on her sister's new machine always promised an experience full of adrenaline. Diane already received three tickets for speeding and with her attitude, they're not going to be the last. She tried to control herself when she took Alexis for a ride, but it was still much faster than she'd welcome.
Anyway, she put on the helmet, sat behind Diane and firmly grasped her waist. Diane revved the engine several times and hit the road.
"Wohoo!" Diane cheered after she overtook most of the cars on the roadway. "Sex is good, but have you ever tried this? Best feeling in the world!"
"How do you know that sex is good?" Alexis asked, her head clinging onto Diane's back.
"I don't know, sis, most people say that."
Even though she was almost twenty, Diane was still a virgin and she wasn't ashamed of that. She was bubbly and extroverted, but sensitive about such topic. My Little Deedee is impenetrable, she said. Getting through the defenses will be a honor for some dude someday.
"Speaking about that, I feel kinda bad for Gus," Diane continued after a while. "That man is almost thirty and he never had a girlfriend so far!"
"I'd say it's his choice," Alexis tried to be louder than the bike engine, "but sometimes, when I'm with Annie, he just looks at us... sad. He supports our relationship and everything, but it's obvious he also needs love. We all do."
"Are you trying to hint I should ask him out?" Diane replied. "Well... he's a good guy. But uncompatibile. I like him as a bro, but dating him..."
"That's not what I was trying to say. I just think Augustus is way too much responsible. For long years, he had to take care of Annie. He's not used to meeting people, but he deserves to have someone. Does it make sense? I mean... nobody deserves to be alone."
"I honestly can't imagine Gus as a party animal."
At the first glance, Augustus Lightfoot really looked antisocial and grumpy. However, both sisters knew he hides much more. Diane was able to expose his funny, friendly personality while Alexis revealed his gentle, sensitive side. All connected by undying love for his younger sister.
Alexis changed the subject. "Shortly, me and Annie will have our first anniversary."
Diane raised her eyebrows. "You are together for so long already?"
"Yeah, I also find it unbelievable. Last year, we were together almost every day. Well, except..." Alexis sighed, referring to the incident several months ago where they briefly broke up bue to the intervention of Johannes Crestian, an immortal Trimort who tried to turn Anna against Alexis and the others.
After Crestian fell, nothing else got in Alexis and Anna's way. They lived happy, peaceful life as a couple - exactly what Alexis was wishing for. Regarding their paranormal investigator job, they only got three clients. In all cases, the haunting was proven to be fake.
"See this guy over there?" Diane pointed at one of the cars. "Watch me overtake him."
"Diane, ple..." Alexis started, but it was too late. Diane shot forth, navigating through the traffic and ultimately getting in front of the desired car. Upon passing the driver's window, Diane blew him a kiss.
"You really shouldn't be doing that," Alexis noted.
"Why not?" Diane smirked. The driver opened the window and leaned from it. "You suicidal bitch!" he yelled. "Did you learn to drive in Grand Theft Auto?"
Diane turned around and gave him a sweet smile. "Kinda!"
<<>>
Diane finally parked the bike in front of the block of flats they lived in. "Another happy landing!" she yelled, taking off the helmet.
Alexis wasn't so jolly. After dismounting from the bike, she walked like her legs were wooden for a minute. Her arms also hurt since she was clenching Diane so hardly. Her head was spinning.
"I'll never stop cursing the day Gray Forrestal gave you this," she muttered, looking at the bike.
Diane shook her head. "You're, like, the only person ever who minds some speed."
"I don't mind some speed. But you are being suicidal, there's no other explanation."
The girls used the elevator which took them to their flat. They were there alone since Gwendolyn Pearl, their mother, left for Philadelphia for several weeks. She promised she'll return before Christmas. Even though the girls were used to living alone, the flat now felt empty without the woman.
"Lex? Cook something," Diane said. "Your sis hungry is."
Alexis took off her jacket and collapsed on the couch. "Cook something yourself, I spent all day at the lectures and now I'd like to rest a bit with a book."
"We got used to mom a lot, right?"
"Yeah, we did."
In the end, Alexis made some spaghetti and after consuming the dinner, she could finally retreat to her room with a book that didn't contain only facts. Before reading, however, she thought about the upcoming anniversary. Does Anna remember it? Should she buy her a gift?
Alexis remembered she was sitting on her bed exactly like this when she confessed her love to Anna. These moments were engraved to her mind permanently. Every word she said, leaning for the first kiss, soft and shy. Their lips just barely touched and it felt like a tickle with a feather.
They came so far. It started with one gentle kiss, now they, in private, even run their hands under each other's shirts. Even though Alexis would never admit it to her more temperate girlfriend, she regularly felt craving to go further. To get rid of the clothes...
No. No, I mustn't think about that.
It was, however, harder and harder.
She was almost disgusted by herself. She always saw herself as the person of temperance and chastity, always following her brain before natural instincts. But recently, her imagination kept offering her images and thoughts she really wasn't fond of and made her resort to things she usually did only occassionally.
She knew that everyone would tell her it's normal. Love and lust almost always come hand in hand. But despite that, she felt somehow filthy. Would Anna be disgusted if she knew her thoughts?
Alexis decided to not think about such things and turned on the tablet computer. She started to run through the photos of her and Anna on dates and trips they were on together. Sometimes silly, sometimes romantic. The pleasant tingling shifted from her private parts to her heart.
Now she was satisfied.
Then she started to think about the anniversary day. What would Anna want? A trip to Starlandia? A lunch in their favorite restaurant? All of it?
If she asked, Anna would just smile and say "I want nothing at all, except for your company". And Alexis felt the same. Every day felt like a celebration if the lovers were together.
She looked at the calendar with Doctor Who pictures on her wall (a gift from Anna for last Christmas) - the anniversary day was circled red and there were still some days remaining. She decided she feels to tired to think about it now, so she just grabbed a book and dived into her usual activity.
Maybe she could buy her a book?
No, that's too overused. Just like romantic dinners and Star Wars merchandise. After several pages, she found herself thinking about Anna and the anniversary again. She sighed and put down the book, spending some time with her thoughts again.
<<>>
The next day, the lovers went to walk Dante together. Alexis had no classes that day and the girls decided to take advantage of it. Some stores already had Christmas decorations up even though there was still no trace of snow in the city and the wind only gently kissed the skin with its slightly chilly touch.
The dog loved the freedom as always, just like the girls enjoyed each other's company. However, they didn't remain alone for too long. In one of the Serenity Square parks, they saw a woman jogging. At first, they didn't recognize her - she was wearing a light, dark blue jacket, skintight leggings and black hair tied into a short ponytail secured by a headband. Then, she noticed them and smiled. It was Alyssa.
"Greetings!" she told the girls. "What a coincidence."
"I'd never guess you're into this type of things," Alexis returned the smile.
"Well, a police officer has to stay in shape. Melody also tells me I'm crazy. But look at me - despite my age, I'm still hot and attractive, so it has some results," she winked.
Alexis felt the urge to ask her about how does she celebrate her anniversaries with Melody. However, she didn't want to do it in Anna's presence. She decided to compromise and just subtly enter the topic. "I don't have time for exercise," she said. "I actually have no idea why am I still thin. You know... the university, the anniversary with Annie in a few days..."
Alyssa raised her eyebrows. "Anniversary? It's a year already?"
"Yes!" Anna nodded cheerfully. "It's hard to believe, I know. Time flies quickly."
"I guess I have to gift you something, right?" the officer said. "I think I have something extra special for you. Can you follow me to my place? I have it there."
It was quite a walk to Alyssa's home, but they decided to take a longer walk than usual (Anna didn't mind at all since her wheelchair did all the work). When they arrived, Alexis was tired the most. Alyssa looked as fresh as if she didn't walk several kilometers.
She unlocked her flat and stepped in, then undressed her jacket and hanged it on a peg; underneath, she was wearing a black sport bra. Alexis couldn't resist to briefly check out her midriff - it was flat and muscular, but there was no "six-pack" which would damage its femininity.
Alyssa was right. For her age, she looked great and fit. Maybe Alexis looked at the officer in her sport outfit for too long - Anna gave her a displeased look.
"Do we have guests over?" they heard Melody from the living room.
"We do," Alyssa smiled at her upon entering the room. "It's Alexis and Anna's anniversary soon and I want to give them something special." She walked into her room and came back with a small object in her hand. It was an ancient Chinese coin, round with a square hole in the middle and Chinese symbols engraved on it.
"A Chinese coin...?" Anna frowned.
"Not just some Chinese coin!" Alyssa raised her finger. "I found it when I seized the loot of a thief specializing in historical valuables. It is a lucky coin of general Yue Fei, from 12th century. According to the legend, he found it on the battlefield after the very first battle he won. He decided to keep it and carry it everywhere as his lucky charm. Since then, he won hundreds of battles against the northern China and became one of the most known generals in Chinese history."
Alexis gave her a suspicious look. "Is that true?"
"And that's not all!" the woman continued. "This lucky coin has been lost and it appeared again in a backyard sale of some random man. And they say that everyone who ever owned this coin mt unimaginable luck. Some of the more famous owners include Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Elon Musk. According to the tradition, you should give the coin to someone you care about once you find your fortune. However, it doesn't work when it's stolen, since the guy who stole it is in jail to this day," she smirked. "When I found it and read its story, I decided to keep it. It's old and valuable, but I hoped nobody would miss it."
Anna decided to not question Alyssa's gray morale. "And now you want to give it to us?"
"I already have all I need," she approached Melody and kissed her. "I found the coin after I divorced June, my first wife. Shortly after, I found Melody. It's time to move on!"
<<>>
The policewoman gave them the coin in a nice box accompanied by a laminated piece of paper describing its origins and history. Both girls had to admit it looks convincing. "Take a good care of it," Alyssa told them. "No matter if you believe in good luck charms, it's a valuable piece of history."
"Thank you, Alyssa," Alexis said. "We will cherish it."
The girls had to drag away Dante who became familiar with Melody. The woman obviously loved animals and their feelings were mutual. "Can I go for a walk with him sometimes?" Melody laughed as Dante licked her face. "Pleeease!"
"Just contact us," Alexis smiled. "I guess Dante would like some variety."
They finally left the flat. Since Alexis was too tired to walk home, they took a TEx. When they seated themselves in the train, Alexis carefully opened the box with the coin.
"Do you think Alyssa told us the truth?" Anna brought up.
Alexis shrugged. "I have to admit it looks convincing. But I think it's more about what you believe in. If you believe the coin is going to work, it will. I don't know about you, but I don't have a private number for Gates or Musk, so we can't ask them if they really owned it."
"I think we should just presume it's real," Anna replied.
"I agree."
They arrived home where Diane was, as usually, laying on the couch, listening to loud metal music and munching on Cheetos. "Hey there, Juliet and Juliet," she greeted them. "How was the walk?"
The couple told her about Alyssa's gift.
"That's cool!" Diane said and looked at the coin. "Aren't you going to bring it into some pawn shop and make some cool money? If it's really as old and valuable as Alyssa said..."
"No way!" Anna interrupted her. "It's a gift. We would disappoint Alyssa so much if we lost it!"
Diane smirked. "Alyssa doesn't have to know."
"There are more important things than money, Dee," Alexis sighed.
"Like these awesome things you can buy for them?"
"I regret telling you anything."
"Come on, sis, I was just joking. It's good to have such thing at home. Are you going to continue the story? Give it away once you find your fortune?"
"I guess we can give it away right now," Anna smiled at Alexis. "I think I'm as happy as I can be right now. What about you, Alexis?"
"I agree. We should give it to someone who needs it more than us."
"What about me?" Diane asked innocently.
"In my humble opinion, you don't need it at all," Alexis stated. "All you do is slack around all day, eat without getting fat and additionally, you got a brand new motorbike."
Diane shrugged. "At least I tried."
Together in Alexis' room, the lovers looked up Yue Fei. He turned out to be an actual person, but the rumors about his lucky coin were nowhere to be found. That meant the search neither confirmed or ruled out the coin's authenticity and left them more confused than before.
Anna examined the Chinese symbols on the coin in a circular pattern: 嘉祐元寶. The piece of metal was surprisingly light; however, the girl had no idea how much should a Chinese coin weigh. She handled it with care, in case it's really a historical insignia.
"Who's gonna have it at home?" Alexis asked.
Anna thought about it for a moment. "I guess we should take turns," she suggested. "This week, it can stay with me, then you will take it for the next week. And so on, until we give it away."
"I can agree with this," Alexis smiled.
"Think about how awesome it would be if it was real," Anna muttered, stroking the coin with her fingers. "Gates, Jobs, Musk... plus the Chinese warmonger almost a millenium ago. Such great people had it in possession. And now, we own it, by some strange coincidence. It's almost magical."
"I agree. We should keep the story going, even if the coin was only a dud."
<<>>
Anna placed the box with the coin on a shelf in her room. After she woke up next day, she looked at it and immediately remembered Alyssa, and of course her girlfriend. Even if the coin wasn't magical, at least it helped her to start the day with a smile.
"Good morning, bro!" she called as she entered the kitchen. Gus was already there, preparing a breakfast. He gave her a tired smile and returned the greeting.
The impaired girl quietly watched her brother cooking. He was already in his late twenties and he spent his whole adult life selflessly taking care of her. He could never take a weekend off. Go out and socialize. He never found a girlfriend. She felt almost guilty for it.
"Gus?" she said.
"Huh?"
"Maybe it's a weird question, but don't you sometimes feel like you... missed something? You spent all the years taking care of me and you basically forgot to live your own life. Tell me, didn't you think about what could you be if the... accident never happened? About fun? About... love?"
"Why the weird questions, Anna?" Gus asked, flipping the pancakes.
"I don't know. It just came to my mind."
The man smeared the pancakes with jam and handed one plate to Anna. Then he sat across her with his own portion. "Do you want me to be completely honest?" he sighed. "Yes, I think about it sometimes. But you are more important than anything else, Annie. I don't regret it even the slightest."
"I see."
"Now really... why are you asking?"
"I already noticed how do you look at me and Alexis. I am so happy with her. I feel that my life is complete. But it's not fair since I always prevented you to be truly yourself, to find love, make more friends. You sometimes seem sad to me. I don't want to."
Gus shrugged. "What can you do? Besides that, I don't need a woman. We're on our own for so many years and doing just fine without a third person."
"But if the right one came along, you would be happy for it, right?"
"Who wouldn't?" Gus admitted.
They finished the breakfast in silence. Gus looked strangely saddened, like the talk invoked some long lost emotions inside him. Even though he tried to look contented, Anna was sure that deep inside, he feels lonely. He had no choice but to stay strong - because of her.
Anna couldn't stop the feeling she has something to repay. But how? How could she return ten years of life? She slowly realized she can't.
"Maybe I should've just kept my mouth shut," Gus muttered after a while.
"Why?"
"You feel guilty. I see it in your eyes."
"You know me way too well," Anna smiled.
Gus sighed. "Hear me out, sis. I would probably end up like this even if our parents lived. I am an introverted person and this way of living is actually pretty convenient for me. To be honest, I don't like excitement. I prefer peace and routine. And that's exactly what I have. I can't say I'm unhappy."
"If you say so..."
"Instead of growing bitter after our parents died," the man looked out of the window and observed the clean, white and green cityscape of Serenity Square, "I became grateful. Grateful that I have at least one person remaining. Someone I can give all my love to. If you also died during the accident... I would probably drink myself to death or crash into a tree with a car."
Anna was touched by the confession. Right after she finished eating the breakfast, she rushed for Alexis to have a serious talk with her.
<<>>
Augustus warmly supported Anna's relationship with Alexis, but on the other hand, Anna was spending so much time with her girlfriend since they started dating. He understood. Young love is intense and passionate and the lovers want to spend as much time as possible together.
But still. Seeing Anna leaving the flat as soon as she ate the last piece of the pancakes to meet Alexis again... she didn't meant it like that, but the man spent more and more time alone with his thoughts. Well, it seems like another day of household chores and TV shows.
The bigger was his surprise when the main door opened a while later. Alexis and Anna stepped into the flat. "Gus?" his sister said. "We want to talk to you about something."
The man smiled, slightly insecure. "What? Are you gonna marry?"
"That can wait for later," Alexis replied while Anna drove into her room and brought something from it. Gus seated Alexis in the living room and Anna joined them.
"Yesterday, Alyssa Lafayette gave us a special gift for our anniversary, but I guess you can use it better than us," Alexis said. Anna showed him the Chinese coin; Gus examined it with raised eyebrows. Alexis explained the coin's story and Gus' interest seemed to grow.
"A coin that can turn your life upside down," he said. "You know, a few years ago, I would just laugh at it. But since you killed an immortal man just a few months ago, screw that, I'm willing to believe in a magical coin. What exactly do you want to do with it?"
Anna smiled at him. "We want to give it to you. Me an Alexis agreed that we already found our fortune - each other. Our relationship has been able to survive even the worst crisis and right now, there's nothing more we could wish for. You, however, have still some things missing in your life."
"And we wish this coin will help you find it," Alexis finished.
"Are you sure about this, girls?"
"Of course we are! You deserve it more. And if you find your fortune, you can always pass it on to someone else. There's nothing wrong in believing, right?"
"Even if the coin wasn't magical, it seems to be an authentic historical antique," Gus said. "But its story... it sounds convincing and as I said, nothing can surprise me anymore. I think... this is a brilliant gift, you two. I... I really appreciate it. Damn, I wish it was easier for me to express things."
"Then, maybe, try to do it without words," Anna said.
Gus shrugged and hugged both girls at once; it was no problem for his lanky arms.
"Yeah, that's a way to do it," Alexis said with a half-strangled voice.
"Can I really accept that?" the man asked. "I mean... won't you regret it?"
"Not even the slightest," Anna assured him.
After a while, Alexis and Anna left, leaving Gus alone with his gift. The man closely examined the coin just like his sister did the previous day.
He had to appreciate the kindness of Anna and her girlfriend. They received something valuable and instead of keeping it to themselves, they decided to give it to him just because they decided he needs more luck in life than they do.
Gus had to be frank to himself - he was sceptical about the coin's magical power. It was possible it's just a cheap dud made to boost the self-confidence of the person who owns it. A placebo effect. But could he blame the girls if it was true?
On the other hand, the coin really looked old. It was probably an actual antique. He decided that carrying the coin with him can't cause any harm and no matter if its magical powers are real or not, he will have something to hold on, something that will remind him of his sister's kind heart.
He inserted the coin into a small plastic bag and put it into his wallet he carried everywhere with him. It was more like his "secondary wallet" since it contained only a small amount of money (mostly change), membership cards to various stores and photos of his family. Larger banknotes, debit cards and important documents such as ID or a driving license were stored in another wallet secured by a lock.
<<>>
Gus' initial scepticism was mercilessly crushed during the following days. It started with several pieces of very rare loot in a MMORPG game Gus played in his free time. They boosted the stats of his characters so much he could participate in an elite raid which got him even more legendary items.
Gus looked at the clock - it was after midnight, but it was worth it. He was fully dragged into the game, but as the enormous golem-like boss monster started to crumble down, he realized that maybe it was the coin working its magic. How else could he explain a progress like this in just one day?
After the boss dropped a Legendary Staff of the Vernum Laboratory, which landed in Gus' inventory, he said goodbye to his teammates (two of them even complimented his skills) and turned off the computer.
A series of fortunate incidents continued during day. When he went for a short morning walk next day, he found a five-dollar banknote lost by someone in the grass. Because he felt like gambling, he bought a five-dollar lottery scratcher which doubled his investment.
Ten dollars weren't some enormous money, but it was enough to improve Gus' mood for the rest of the day. The luck was briefly interrupted when he tripped over a doorstop at home and fell on his face. However, when he tried to get back on his feet, he noticed something under one of the wardrobes. He reached for it and pulled out a ring which belonged to his mother, a ring he presumed lost for good.
He opened the wallet to look at the coin. It could be a coincidence or a placebo effect. But Gus was also completely alright with the possibility that the coin really works.
He approached Anna and handed her the five-dollar bill. "I got this today completely randomly," he smiled at her. "I feel like you deserve a share."
The girl smirked. "Does it mean the coin is working?"
"Call me crazy, but it seems so," Gus replied. "Are you sure you don't want it back?"
"No, of course not!" Anna cheered. "I'm so glad to hear you got lucky today. You should take advantage of the luck while it still lasts! Who knows what can happen to you?"
"What exactly do you have in mind?"
"Go out! Forget about me for just one day and do what makes you happy the most. Visit a café, take a long walk. You never know what can happen!"
"Do you mean it's time for me to leave my shell?"
"Couldn't say it better."
Gus thought about it for a while. Stepping out of his comfort zone sounded almost like a science fiction to him. But maybe the coin was a sign. The sign that he should finally try to turn his life around and start to be more outgoing. Well, as a teen, he was insecure about his look and personality, and it didn't change much, but he can never know until he tries it.
"Where do you plan to go?" Anna asked him and interrupted his thoughts.
"Well... there's a small café called The Place of Harmony near the borders with the Centre," Gus replied. "While I was still at school, I sometimes used to meet my classmates here and we discussed exams, projects and other important things. It's the closest I've ever come to socializing," he smiled grimly.
"A great idea!" Anna nodded. "You can freely forget about me. Alexis has no classes tomorrow, so we can spend some time together and leave you some space."
"Thanks, Annie."
Gus turned on the computer and launched the game again, just to test the new equipment he got. The undead hordes of Wights succumbed to the staff's might as Augustus' character conjured fierce firestorms and rained ice shards on them. He couldn't help but laugh and variously offend his virtual enemies.
"Is that all you can do, you retarded bag of bones?" he cheered after he slain another undead warrior with a single powerful fireball. The fight with the dungeon boss was tougher, but Gus' magician prevailed and looted a rare Rune of Magical Power from the creature's body.
Augustus did a victorious gesture and inserted the rune stone into his brand new staff to increase its might even further. "I hope tomorrow will be almost half as good as today," he said to himself.
<<>>
The next day, after lunch, Augustus decided to follow Anna's recommendation and go test his luck even further. He said goodbye to his sister who encouraged him once again. The he put on a gray coat that belonged to his late dad (it was a bit oversized, but Gus didn't mind) and a matching fedora.
Anna giggled at the sight of him. "Good luck out there, Don Augustiniano."
"What?" Augustus said. "I thought I look dashing."
"You look like you're gonna give someone a pair of concrete boots and then send them sleep with the fish," Anna smirked. "I'm just kidding, you're alright."
"That's good to know," Gus smiled and left the flat.
The weather seemed to favor him - a beautiful late Fall with a clear sky. He looked at the the surroundings, at the beautiful, clear landscape of Serenity Square, the most beautiful district in Gabriel's Gardens. When he didn't keep his head low, he noticed many things he ignored before.
A mother carrying a pram. Young lovers kissing. A small dog assaulting his legs, wiggling his tail at him while his owner yelled at him to come back.
He couldn't help but smile. Everything seemed so nice.
He arrived to The Place of Harmony café. Even though he wasn't a sentimental man, memories attacked his mind. He wasn't exactly popular at school, but he was a member of a "nerd squad" which often met at this place where they "responsibled", as one of his classmates put it.
On a more bittersweet note, he remembered Cassie Sanders, a charming brunette with admirable intellect and contagious smile who was also a part of the group. She was his first crush, he wasn't even afraid to say he was in love. However, his insecure, diffident personality combined with unattractive face full of dimples prevented him from promoting their careful friendship into anything more.
In the end, it was Gus' friend Conrad DeWitt who won Cassie's heart. Con wasn't good-looking either, he was quite overweight with a large, flat nose, but he was able to actually take action and ask Cassie out, which Augustus couldn't. Another chance ruined by his timidity.
He took a look around. The coffee bar didn't change much since his school years. There's even the same waitress - she used to be a clumsy, skinny teen wearing braces and pigtails, but grew up to become a cute young lady with shiny red hair and dashing smile.
Almost everything was made of dark wood, the seats were more comfortable thanks to a dark red upholstery. There were no unnecessary decorations and besides chatting of the visitors, only a quiet jazz music could be heard; it used to annoy Gus earlier, now he learned to appreciate it.
He had to smile at the sight of a group of students which took the largest table, sipping their coffees and discussing the textbooks open before them. The tradition seemed to continue. Most of the visitors were young couples, but also several older people sat there. The only person who was sitting alone was a woman in her mid-twenties with platinum blonde hair wearing a long blue dress and black stockings.
Gus sat close to the group of students and ordered a coffee. Nothing extraordinary lucky happened to him, but the man just enjoyed being there. It was almost like he could finally wash away all the stress stuck on him since the accident.
He just casually observed the people that came inside, trying to guess their story and their intentions for coming here. After a while, he ordered a second coffee and a caramel dessert. The waitress he used to know brought it with a smile, even though she clearly didn't remember him.
Before he finished the dessert, he started to think where to go next. Maybe he could take a look at his former high school? Nah, that would be too sentimental. Maybe he should just randomly roam the city and see if the coin's magical power will take him somewhere interesting.
For some reason, he felt the urge to look at the lucky Chinese coin, so he reached into his pocket. A lump in his throat that grew there right after stopped the piece of dessert Gus was currently trying to swallow. The man had no idea how did it happen, but the wallet simply wasn't there.
<<>>
The relaxed feeling immediately turned into panic. Gus jumped up, looking under the table and all over his surroundings to see if the wallet didn't just slip out of his pocket. He found nothing and several people started to question his sanity.
"Why now?" he moaned with his head on the table. "Up to this point, that goddamn wallet didn't contain anything valuable. And now, just as I put almost a thousand years old antique inside, it gets stolen! Good luck charm my ass! Even the luck itself tries to escape me!"
"Can I... help you somehow?" the waitress asked carefully.
"Someonestolemywallet!" Gus bursted out, then calmed down a little; the girl seemed scared by his almost psychotic behavior. He started over, this time calmer. "Someone stole my wallet. I'm sure I had it before I went here. Could you please help me... somehow?"
"I can try and look at the security cameras," the girl replied. "Was there a large amount of money? Important documents? Credit cards?"
"Actually, not really," Gus admitted, feeling a bit dumb. "There was just a gift my sister and her girlfriend gave me. It's probably a historical artifact, but it has even bigger emotional value for me. I must find it."
"Alright, Sir, calm down." The girl led him to the room inaccessible to the visitors. There was a computer in the room. The waitress grabbed the phone next to it, pushed a button and quickly spoke. A few moments later, an older man rushed inside the room, pale and nervous.
"Greetings, Sir," he said and shook Augustus' hand. "I'm Bradley Delonge, the café's owner. I'm so sorry to hear that a theft happened here."
"I just need my wallet back," Gus uttered.
"Don't worry. We can settle this." The chubby man with a moustache was so obliging it made Gus smile. He probably realized if Gus speaks up about the theft, he may lose his customers. Delonge sat behind the computer and searched through the archives.
"Do you remember when did you come here?" Delonge asked.
"A hour ago, I guess," Gus replied.
The man opened a security camera file. It depicted the part of the café where Gus was sitting. He watched himself, sitting on a chair, sipping a coffee with a dreamy expression on his face. Since he had no idea when did he lose the wallet, they had to watch the whole recording.
Finally, a short, stocky man with shaved head wearing a red sweater appeared. Gus remembered seeing him - he guessed he's some kind of manual worker, maybe a carpenter. He stopped for a while and looked at the visitors, including Augustus. Gus remembered that, too. He wasn't sure why did the man do that.
The bald man walked past him. When he was right behind Gus' chair, he kneeled down to tie his shoelace. His burly body hid his crime from the other visitors' eyes, but the security camera offered a look from a different angle. At one moment, the man just sneaked two fingers, surprisingly long and agile, removed the wallet and rapidly put it into his own pocket.
"Here he is, the bastard!" Gus bursted out.
"Do you know this man?" Delonge asked.
"No, I don't. But now at least I know how does he look like." Gus felt embarassed - how is it possible he didn't feel the man's fingers slipping into his pocket? Was he so thrilled about his great day, or was the man such a skilled thief? Both? He will probably never know.
"Should I call the police?" the waitress suggested.
Gus wanted to agree, but then he remembered the coin is originally Alyssa's gift. How mad would she be if she found out he lost it almost immediately after the girls gave it to him?
He didn't want to risk it.
"No, I think it won't be necessary," he said.
<<>>
After a while, they found out that the thief left soon after stealing Gus' wallet and the camera installed outside caught him entering his car. It was an SUV as red as the man's sweater. The camera even caught its license plate number.
"Are you sure you don't want to call the police?" Delonge asked him. "We have this number, so the police shouldn't have a problem with finding that guy."
"It's alright. I... I think I know that guy after all," Gus replied. "Can I just ask you to send me a picture of him on my phone? I can handle it."
Delonge shrugged and did what Augustus asked for. Then he tried to offer him generous discounts to make up for the theft. "That's okay," Gus uttered impatiently. "I won't tell anyone about it."
He left the café's backstage and sat down not only to finish his coffee, but also to call his sister. "Annie?" he said after the girl picked up the call. "I need some help of that magical software you own. That one which can find a shoe size of any person just by inputting their photo."
"Why do you need that?" Anna asked.
Gus had to come up with a lie. "I met an old classmate in the café," he said. "The guy I'm gonna send you owes him some money and is nowhere to be found. He'd be eternally grateful if you helped to find him."
"Okay, send me the photo."
Gus sent it using the café's wi-fi network. Then he waited for Anna to work her magic while sipping on the already cold latté. After a while, he started to drum his fingers on the table; it was just taking way too long. Several people looked at him with a frown.
Finally, Anna called. "You wouldn't believe how many bald guys are in Gardens," she said. "I can't be 100% sure, but the best match is named Aaron James and lives somewhere in East Haven. He has some photos on social networks - that horrible red sweater seems to be his favorite." She sent him several photos of the man; his shaved head resembled an egg and his smile seemed somehow crooked.
It was the thief, without a doubt. He even had the criminal fingers Gus noticed on the video.
Gus thanked Anna and ended the call. He was closer to his coin, but only slightly. His best option was getting into East Haven as soon as possible and start to look for the thief or his car. He approached the only person in the room that didn't seem busy - the platinum blonde who was sitting alone.
"Excuse me, Miss," he bursted out, "do you have a car?"
The woman flinched, like his mere presence scared her. Gus realized he probably messed up once again and calmed himself down once again... or at least he tried. "My name is Augustus," he said. "A man here stole my wallet I desperately need back. I kinda know where to look for him, but I need a lift to East Haven."
She stared at his coffee, definitely looking unsettled. "Sir, I don't know..."
"Would twenty dollars be enough?"
"Sir..."
"Fifty dollars?"
"I... I am waiting here for someone!" the woman said, obvious she's lying. "I'm sorry about that matter, but I really can't help you right now."
Gus clasped his hands. "Lady, I beg you. I lost something valuable my little sister gave me. And I need it back. I promise it won't take long."
She looked like slowly losing patience. "I'm gonna be frank," she said tersely. "My past experiences made me not trust men. It's nothing personal, but you can't convince me to take a man into my car and be with him alone. I'm sorry. Please understand it and leave."
"Lady, I understand you. My sister, Annie, also prefers girls and I..."
"Annie... prefers girls..." the woman muttered. "Is your sister Anna Lightfoot?"
Gus' face brightened. "Do you know her? Yes, it's her!"
The woman finally smiled - and it was a pleasant sight. "I briefly worked with her, Alexis and Diane Warren. Maybe she mentioned me before, my name is Inna Lindberg. Okay, Augustus, I will help you, but only because of Annie. But please, don't come too close to me and never touch me. I'm sorry, as I said, it's not personal."
"Got it, got it."
<<>>
Gus managed to convince Inna to let him drive her car, a small, white Japanese model with a good cost-performance ratio. She sat next to him on a passenger seat with a phone in her hand. "Be careful," she said. "I'm calling the police at any inconvenience."
Augustus rolled his eyes. "Do I really look like a violent offender to you?"
"It doesn't matter how do you look like," Inna said, carefully observing Gus' every move. "The man who ruined my life looked way better than you."
"Thanks for the compliment."
The man woke up the engine and headed east towards the East Haven district. He had to drive through whole West Haven to get there. The traffic was horrible and Gus was gradually running out of patience.
"Do you really have to look at me all the time?" he uttered towards Inna. "You're making me nervous."
"Sorry, but this is..."
"...the first time you got a dude in your car. Got it. If I paint my lips with a lipstick and wear some mascara, would it make you feel better?"
Inna folded her arms and stayed silent.
After a while, she became the first one to speak. "Do you have at least some idea what are you doing?"
"I hope so," Gus replied. His clue was a photo Anna sent him. It depicted Aaron Jason, the thief, in his house. Jason was showing off a new TV he probably bought (a giant flatscreen by one of the more expensive brands), but it was the window behind him that made the photo worthwhile.
The most prominent feature in the landscape was a black building towering above the other, mostly low houses like a demon's finger. It was East Haven's most prominent landmark, a clock tower which also served as a lookout tower. Needles to say, it didn't offer a nice sight, just the boring landscape of the Haven district and the grim, gray atmosphere of both slum districts, with the shiny skyscrapers of the Centre visible only in the distance, like an unreachable dream.
Gus calculated the approximate distance between the tower and the thief's house to narrow the search a bit. He drove to the tower and then started to carefully circle the housing estates, looking for Jason's car. Inna looked confused and also a little scared. Deep inside, she started to regret her decision and the only thing that kept her calm was reminding herself the nervous man next to her is Anna Lightfoot's brother.
Gus sensed her insecurity. "I'm once again sorry about this," he said. "It's just..."
He told Inna everything about the lucky coin. The woman listened closely and after he finished, she nodded. "I can understand why do you want it back so badly," she said. "I witnessed more than one paranormal occurrence in my life. Heck, it was King Arlington himself who saved me from a fate worse than death. So maybe there's really something magical about the coin."
"Maybe there's a punishment for losing it," Gus muttered. "Like... bad luck for life."
Inna smiled. "In that case, we must work twice as hard to find it."
"Did you really said we? I thought you're only silently tolerating my presence."
"Who said I'm not? But we're in this together, even though I'm not exactly happy about it."
"Why do you hate men so much?" Gus asked. "Are you some kind of militant feminazi?"
"No, not at all," the woman sighed. "I'm not even a lesbian, as you hinted earlier. It's because... when I was a child, a group of men gave me Hell you can't imagine. I was only a little girl. I saw things that scarred me for life. Every time I try to talk to a man, I remember all the things I saw, things they told me, and... I just can't."
"But you're talking to me."
"That's because I see Annie Lightfoot when I look at you. If you weren't her brother, I'd rather get killed than let you drive my own car and take me to some place I don't know."
"I still have my ID with me," Gus said. "I can give it to you and drop you somewhere. When I find a thief, I'll give you the car back in exchange for the ID. Is that a better solution?"
Inna considered the idea, then shook her head. "Maybe I'm crazy, but I want to help you."
Gus wanted to thank her, but then opened his eyes wide. "The car!" he pointed at a red SUV parked in front of one of the houses. "It's him! And he's up for a little visit!"
<<>>
The car was parked in front of a small house with unkept garden; at the first sight, it was clear the residence is too big for the resident to be maintained properly. Some of the windows were even covered with cardboard, probably to hide something the resident doesn't want to show the world.
Gus banged at the main door. "Hey, open immediately!" he shouted, adding several words that made Inna blush. She had to step back as the man's aggression grew; if he was just a bit stronger, he would probably smash open the door. This way, Gus gave up after a while, his face red out of anger and exhaustion.
"Seems like that sucker doesn't wanna open," he uttered. "He probably knows what's coming."
The noise Augustus was doing seemed to attract the attention of the neighbors. The window of the neighbouring house, much cleaner and neater, opened and an older man appeared in it. "That blighter probably isn't inside," he said. "You're not the first one to have quarrels with him."
"What do you know about him?"
The neighbor blew a raspberry. "Nothing good! Being Aaron's neighbor means you have a police on your block at least once a week. He's a slacker who never came even close to a real job, but somehow, he always has more than enough money to spend on useless things and drugs. Look at his house! He'd be able to afford a luxurious pad in Icaria, but instead, he lives in this filth!"
"How does he make money if he has no job?" Gus asked, even though he already knew the answer.
"He's a criminal," the neighbor answered. "Maybe he doesn't look like that, but he's a skilled thief and a fraud. He would be able to sell his own mother if enough money were offered. I presume Aaron stole something from you, right?"
"Yeah, something important."
"Money or valuables?"
"I'd say valuables. Why asking?"
"Then I have an advice for you, boy. Not so far away from the clock tower, there is a pawn shop named A Treasure Chest. Aaron is seen there frequently - I think Aaron and the pawn shop's owner are some kind of business partners. Aaron always brings some things he stole, the owner then sets the price and puts the item up for sale with fake documentation. It's a symbiosis. The thief gets the money and the Chest's owner receives the profit from sales. Not a bad agreement, don't ya think?"
"But his car is here," Gus objected.
"He walks there on foot. Aaron's fully aware that his business can get him arrested - and we were already so close many times. So while dealing his wares, he prefers to be as anonymous as possible. That means no car."
"That means he's probably there."
"Exactly."
Gus turned to Inna. "One more trip? Please?"
The woman rolled her eyes. "I don't have a choice, do I?"
They checked out the exact place of the pawn shop, then entered the car again and drove to it, the Haven clock tower silently guiding them.
The tower was built in the East Haven centre. The district had the most bleak feeling of all the Havens, maybe because it was so close to the Morningstar district whose factories and power plants were towering in the distance, ruining the calm and relaxed landscape.
The tower loomed over them like a sinister monolith, with the clock face staring into the distance like an eye. The area was always full of tourists who wanted to see Gabriel's Gardens from above, and the local businessmen decided to take advantage of it. The tower's surroundings were overflowing with overpriced souvenir shops, equally costly convenience stores and banks offering money while demanding almost twice as much in return.
And finally, an ugly brick building with a faulty neon saying A TREASURE CHEST.
"Looks like we're here," Gus said, "but it's... not quite what I imagined."
<<>>
The Icaria district offered large, interesting pawn shops with lots of curiosities, antiques and items belonging to famous people the visitors could either admire or buy if they were wealthy enough.
A Treasure Chest, however, was far away from them.
It was just a small square room crammed with useless items available for under ten dollars. The only exceptions were several old wristwatches and pieces of jewelery. Also the owner looked old and useless - an obese man with almost exactly square-shaped head with a gray army haircut and annoyed expression.
"How can I help you?" he asked, chewing a cigarette in his mouth.
"I'm looking for this man," Gus showed him Aaron James' photo.
The owner raised his unibrow. "Why so?"
"I currently have some quarrels with him."
The owner let out a nasty laugh. "That's nothing rare, my boy! He's a pain in the ass, but working with him can bring some benefits. Look, he pissed me off just a while ago, so I can tell you something about him... if you offer me something nice in return. Aaron didn't make me shit today."
"What do you want? Money?"
"Money, a valuable item, or a while with the lassie over there," he laughed again.
Gus stood before Inna and drove his finger into the man's fatty chest. "You ain't touching her. Understood?"
"A white knight," the man smirked. "Those don't come here often."
"I have a better idea," Inna announced and reached into her purse. The man gasped as the woman's hand showed up again, this time holding a 9mm Glock 43, pointing at him. The gun was rather small, but, without a doubt, enough to close the man's business.
The owner raised his hands, revealing sweaty armpits. "You are crazy," he muttered. "Not brave enough."
Inna cocked the gun. "Wanna risk it?"
The cold in her eyes convinced him to not test his luck. "He's in some kind of gang," he spoke. "They specialize in stealing everything they can, both wallets and items if it's easy enough. They keep a warehouse not so far away in Morningstar, right under the Sunrise Bridge. I sometimes come there and pick some items for my pawn shop. I help them sell it."
The man scribbled an address along with a brief map on a piece of paper and handed it to Gus. The duo then slowly backed away from the shop, while Inna still holding him at gunpoint.
"Thanks, man," Gus smiled at him. "It has been a nice visit."
The owner suggested him to have an intimate intercourse with himself - in a rough way.
"This is where we have to part ways," Inna said, hiding the gun inside her purse. "No matter how you plead or who you relatives are, I'm not coming to Morningstar."
Long story short, after several minutes, Inna's car was driving towards the infamous slum district. Inna sighed. "Just... how? How did you persuade me into this?"
"The irresistible power of my personal charm?" Gus grinned.
"You're forgetting about the gun I have."
"I was actually not surprised. It's natural for someone as paranoid as you - sorry - to own a gun. I also have one, but I left it at home. It was supposed to be a nice trip ending in a café, but instead, I'm chasing a thief around the whole city with a girl who probably secretly hates me!"
"I don't hate you. You... you are a dork."
Gus raised one eyebrow. "Now I'm not sure how should I take it."
"Take it how you take it," Inna smiled.
They took a narrow driveway which connected East Haven with Morningstar. They immediately became engulfed by a thick layer of smog plaguing the whole district. Fortunately, during daylight, Morningstar wasn't as dangerous as Daybreak and the only people they met while roaming gray, dismal streets were the homeless, sleeping junkies and worn out workers heading to work.
"Look, I... I really appreciate you go through all this with me," Gus started shyly.
"Not now," Inna interrupted him. "We're almost there."
<<>>
The Sunrise Bridge was built to allow the people to drive from Haven straight to New Eden without having to enter unpleasant and often dangerous Morningstar. The bridge was now high above them since the Daybreak district was built in a deep gorge between the more fortunate districts.
They parked the car in front of a building resembling a garage. The dirt, smells and hostile graffiti on the walls gave away it's not a friendly place at all. Inna, in her clean dress, leatherette jacket and neat hairstyle, looked as much unbecoming as possible in a place like that.
"Maybe I should forget it and get the heck outta here," Gus muttered.
"All the effort for nothing?" Inna said. "Men are always full of their strength and bravery, but they back out of every challenge." She shoved him aside and knocked at the door.
"That pawn guy was right," Gus sighed. "You're crazy."
The garage door started to creak. They heard several loud curses and then the entrance finally started to open upwards. The two men who opened it had to use a set of ropes and hooks to keep it open. The one who came to greet them was nobody else but Aaron James, as always, dressed in his horrible red sweater.
"Just some city rats," he shouted at his companions - including the ones holding the door, there were five more people in the room. The furniture only consisted of an old wooden table, five chairs and a locker. The rest of the room, which looked bigger on the inside, was occupied by countless boxes and bags, mostly labelled.
"What do they want?" one of the criminals asked.
Aaron James nodded at Gus, expecting his answer.
"Well, you stole something from me," Gus squeaked. "And I need it back."
The thieves started to laugh.
"Could you please... specify a little?" James grinned.
"A wallet with some change, photos and a Chinese coin," Gus replied.
James made a furious face and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the wallet and threw it at Gus' face. "You mean this?" he grumbled. "Take it. It's worthless!"
Gus quickly reached for the wallet. "Uhm... worthless?" he said. "How do you know?"
"I thought the coin is some valuable shit," Aaron bursted out. "With that tiny bag, documentation and stuff. I took it to my purchaser, confident that I have something good. But he sent me to Hell and claimed this is only a dud! Now I have a stain on my reputation because of you!"
"Okay, I'm sorry for that," Gus said. "What about... you just let me take what's mine - it's worthless after all - and let me go? We don't wanna cause any problems, really."
"But, maybe, we do," Aaron smirked. "That's exactly what we need, you calling the cops here!"
"Cops won't know a thing," Gus promised.
"How can I be sure?"
"You have my word...?"
Another wave of laughter.
Inna pulled out her Glock again. "You will just let us, or it won't end well!" she called.
Without any further words, all gang members pulled out their own guns, cocked them and aimed them at the duo. Inna's face went even more pale than usual.
"Well... shit, I guess?" Augustus voiced.
"Okay, come inside," Aaron James said, seemingly annoyed by their interruption. "We should probably just drive a bullet through your heads, but there's no murder on our account yet, and we'd like to keep it that way. We like to keep stuff clean... as much as possible, got it?"
Gus and Inna reluctantly walked into the warehouse and the men closed the door again. Then they used a dirty piece of rope to tie them to the chairs (two of them had to sit on the ground and they weren't exactly happy about it). The thieves then just stared at them without a word.
"Awkward," Gus uttered.
A man who looked like a leader of the group, a tall, muscular chap with bald head and thick beard, forded his arms. "It looks like we now have to decide what to do with you."
<<>>
The thief gang divided into two halves. One of them wanted to kill the intruders and make things easy, the other half was against it - not because they were so compassionate over the captives, they just noted that covering a double murder is way harder than getting away with a small heist. The bearded leader was indifferent.
After a heated discussion (which completely left out its subjects and their opinions), the leader finally decided. "Killing them could really turn troublesome," he said. "But we do have to get rid of them somehow. Just letting them go is unacceptable since they'd rush to the police as soon as possible, but if we drug them well and just release them into Morningstar, they may not find a way back."
Gus cleared his throat to drag the thug's attention. "What exactly do you mean, drug them?"
"You'll stay with us for a few days and we'll give you a few shots of some junk," the man explained. "Then we will release you. Even if you find a way home and recover from the addiction somehow, you won't even remember you were here. Sounds fair, doesn't it?"
"There's still an option with me giving you my word," Gus suggested.
The criminal ignored him and turned to his gang. "Now go and buy something good for our nosy friends," he said. "Stronger the better. And I swear if you buy some kind of plaster or flour, I'll personally kill you."
The thieves nodded and left the warehouse, leaving the leader alone with the intruders.
"That stuff I'm gonna push into you is gonna cost me something," he said. "And I'll want it back, of course." He started to examine the duo, looking for possible things that can be sold. First of all, he took a closer look at Gus' wristwatch. "Swiss," he muttered. "Good enough."
"A gift from my dad he gave me before he died in a car crash," Gus said.
"A touching story, but I don't give a damn about it," the thug turned to Inna. "Is that dress expensive?"
"Not really," she replied. "Bought in a sale for twenty dollars, maybe."
The man put his fingers underneath her collar, trying to find the dress' label in case Inna is lying and the dress is made by a famous designer. When Inna felt his touch on her skin, she started to twitch and hyperventilate. Gus realized her phobia is kicking in again.
"Leave... her... alone!" he muttered, trying to escape the chair. But as he swung backwards, he hit the point of no return and overturned the chair which hit the tower of cardboard boxes behind him.
The leader interrupted his inspection and turned to Gus, reaching for his gun. But he wasn't quick enough. One of the boxes landed on his head with a loud thump, then landed on the floor accompanied by a sound of shattering glass. The man collapsed on the floor next to it.
"What... what the hell just happened?" Inna voiced.
"You have to find out... I'm a bit indisposed at the moment," Gus grumbled. He fell with the chair and several cardboard boxed covered him almost perfectly. He tried to struggle and escape, but he was unsuccessful.
Inna took advantage that the chairs were close to breaking. She clumsily jumped up several times, and finally, the legs broke. Unlike Gus, Inna fell on the side. The fall and the broken wood caused her several nasty scratches, but the chair was destroyed enough to allow her to escape.
Then she helped Gus by removing the boxes and untangling the rope around his wrists. The man stood up, rubbing his wrists to restore the bloodstream. Then they examined the box that landed on the leader's head and knocked him unconscious. It was an expensive-looking crystal bowl, now broken into several pieces.
"Imagine if this landed at you instead of him," Inna said.
Gus smiled and looked at the Chinese coin, safely hidden in his pocket again. "Maybe this thing is a dud," he said, "but it's no wonder it somehow works. This is actually the only time my clumsiness served for something good and saved us both!"
"It seems that a thing is as magical as you believe it is," Inna returned him the smile.
"Now we only have to leave this place," Gus stated. "And that can be hard since the door seem to be troublesome. Well, I hope the luck didn't leave us yet."
<<>>
First, they tried to use their mobile phones to call for help, but the signal was out of reach here. It seemed the only way out is through the door - and they had to do it before the thugs return or the leader wakes up. Just to be sure, they tied his hands and ankles together, but still - who knows how persistent this man is?
The situation was following:
The garage door's mechanism didn't work well. It had to be opened manually by lifting it upwards. To make it stay open, there was a rope tied to the bottom edge of the door whose other end was then tied to the hook on the wall. It was a bit overcomplicated mechanism, but at least it didn't allow intruders to come inside unless the inhabitans wanted to.
"Okay," Gus said. "I'll lift the door, you'll try to tie the rope to the hook."
Inna agreed. Gus grabbed the handle at the bottom of the door and lifted it. He wasn't an icon of fitness; he only managed to make a gap barely big enough to escape through it. Inna tried to reach the hook, but she wasn't able to tie the rope properly. "I can barely reach it," she said. "I'm too short."
That was true - Inna was about twenty centimeters shorter than the shortest man of the gang. Gus dropped the door and tried to catch his breath.
"You can stand on the chair," he suggested.
"No way," she said. "I'm not stepping on any of these things. See how easily did they break? If I stood on one, I may also fall down and break my neck!"
They tried the table, which turned out to be too heavy to be moved, even when Gus and Inna joined forces.
"So... what now?" Inna sighed.
"I have an idea, but you won't like it," Gus said.
"Go on."
"I'll try to lift the door closer to the edge. You will then climb me and tie the rope. I know you are uncomfortable touching me, especially all dirty and sweaty like now, but it's a way to do it."
"We... we can try it," Inna agreed reluctantly.
Gus lifted the door again and Inna approached him with the rope in her hand. But just as she touched his shoulder, she flinched. It was nothing personal against Augustus. She just remembered the musky smell and lewd touches of men who imprisoned her when she was little. She knew her revulsion is irrational, but the touch of male body, even through clothes, was unbearable to her.
"Sorry," she voiced.
Gus dropped the door again. "There's one more way," he said. "I can lift the door and you will crawl underneath. Then you'll be able to call for help."
"But... what if these men arrive before the help comes?"
Gus shrugged with a smile. "That's a risk I'm willing to take. You will be safe and that's fair since I basically dragged you into this. Come on. It's a chance for both if us!"
Inna hesitated for a while, then shook her head. "No. I can't put you into danger like this because of my irrational fear! Lift the door. I'll give it one more try."
"Either tie the rope or escape," Gus said. "It's my last attempt. I'm not strong enough for another."
Then he procceeded to lift the gate once again. His arms and knees shaky and face fright red, he was barely able to keep the gap big enough. For a second, Inna felt urge to just crawl through the gap and escape alone. But it wouldn't be fair to Gus. She didn't treat him exactly well, but he was still willing to help and protect her, even with a huge risk. She has to overcome her insecurities and save both of them.
Without further thinking or hesitation, she stood on Gus' shoulders and quickly tied the rope to the hook on the wall. When the man dropped the door, the gap remained.
Inna felt filthy, violated. Again. But only for a while. Gus' tired smile ensured her she's safe, that some men are actually trustworthy and helpful. "Good job," he told her. "Now you don't have to touch me ever again."
Inna gave him a victorious smile, then hugged him tightly.
<<>>
A while later, the duo was standing in front of the Gabriel's Gardens police station. Alyssa Lafayette already sent the police forces to seize the den of thieves they revealed.
"How did you find out about it?" Alyssa wondered.
"That's a long story," Gus replied.
The policewoman frowned. "Hiding the truth from the police is a crime, Mr. Lightfoot."
"Well, now I can tell you the truth, actually," the man said and described his hunt for the lucky Chinese coin.
Alyssa's grin grew wider and wider, then she bursted into laughter. "I'm sorry," she said. "But to imagine what did you go through just for something I bought in a thrift shop for two dollars... well, it's probably my turn to explain. I found out that Alexis and Anna will have their first anniversary soon and I wanted to give them something special. We discussed it with Melody and she suggested to give them something magical, something like their work. So we decided to buy this cheap souvenir and create an interesting story about it. I wished it would become some kind of tradition, given from person to person, bringing good fortune."
"And you did," Gus smiled. "Maybe it's a worthless dud, but it does bring a good fortune."
"You were captured by a gang of thieves and almost got hurt," Alyssa reminded them.
"So what? It was still one of the best days in a while! Adventure, thrill. Something to destroy the routine. I actually enjoyed it, even though it sounds weird!"
"If you insist...?"
"And also," Gus looked at Inna, "I had a chance to spend a day with a person outside my family, even though we're probably gonna part ways now."
Inna raised her eyebrows. "What if I want to see you again?"
"Do you? But you know I'm that thing with a dong. The schlong monster."
"I'm aware of it, but today made me think that I should probably get rid of my fear. And you seem like a good place to start. You are nice and absolutely harmless."
"Was it a compliment?"
"Take it how you take it."
"So you would meet me in The Place of Harmony somewhere next week under... more convenient circumstances? Just for a coffee and a talk?"
Inna smiled. "I'd love to."
"I think miracles happen after all," Alyssa raised her eyebrows. "A grumpy guy constantly locked in his shell and a girl with a heavy social phobia. A perfect match, I have to say."
Gus blushed. "But... we're not dating!"
"Yet," Inna winked at him. "My phobia forced me to hold back for way too long. And I don't want to die alone. If I decide to like you, you have a chance. You just... mustn't rush too much."
"Would holding your hand be too much?"
"No," Inna replied. "Go on."
Their fingers gently rubbed against each other until Inna found courage to firmly grasp his hand. The memories still haunted her mind, but she tried as well as she could to push them into the background and replace them with new ones. Maybe Gus wasn't the most handsome or the most romantic man available, but he prove he's able to care deeply for the ones close to him.
"Congratulations, Gus," Alyssa smirked.
A while later, Alyssa's phone started to ring. Her officers let her know that the gang of thieves has been disbanded, its members arrested and the stolen things confiscated. "It seems you're the hero of the day," Alyssa said to Gus. "Destroying the infamous gang of thieves is praiseworthy indeed."
"And all thanks to this tiny coin," Gus laughed. "A lucky charm."
"Are you going to keep it?"
"Maybe it's my turn to give it away. As the story said, if a person finds their fortune, they should pass the coin on. And it seems it did its job very well."
<<>>
One week later
Alexis and Anna's first anniversary
"So how it's going with Augustus and Inna?" Alexis asked her girlfriend.
"Promising," Anna smiled. "Gus is almost constantly away now, I guess it's because of a date with her. I think they are already dating, he just waits for the right chance to tell us."
"I'm so happy for him. And for Inna, too. They both undeniably deserve love and I think they are perfect for each other. How does it feel, having a sister-in-law?"
"Surprisingly good. It's funny to see Gus in love; well, he's still forgetful and clumsy, but in a good way. And every evening, he talks about her for at least half an hour!"
Alexis laughed. "I'd love to see that."
"Yeah, it's really cute to look at it. They both lost their fear, are progressively trying to trust other people. They can mend each other's wounds. I honestly hope it will last."
"And what about us?" Alexis said. "One relationship is starting, another is already there for a year."
"Maybe we should delay it by a few days. You know, the breakup..."
Alexis put a finger on her lips. "Sssh. I think we agreed we won't talk about it anymore, right? It's twenty-fifth of November. The day we formed a couple. The day we shared the first kiss."
Anna leaned forward and kissed Alexis on her lips. "And it still feels like the first time."
"I just..." Alexis sighed. "I don't know. I wanted today to be better. Romantic. I considered taking you for a dinner, for a movie, somewhere fancy. But now it's evening, the outside is already dark and I failed to make your day great. I'm sorry, Annie."
Anna rolled her eyes. "Do you really need me to tell you how great is every day with you?"
"I know, but..."
"Sssh," Anna said in exchange. "Look at the sky today. It's so clear. I'd be the happiest girl in the world if we just sit here and watch the stars."
The girls were in Anna's room. Diane stayed at home and played videogames, Gus went for a date with Inna. That meant the whole flat is only theirs. Complete privacy.
They sat on Anna's bed with the impaired girl resting her head on Alexis' shoulder. Instead of a standard T-shirt, Anna was wearing a dark blue blouse today which made her look even more beautiful in Alexis' eyes. Even though she would find her beautiful even if she was wearing a dirty potato bag.
Or nothing at all.
It was Alexis who started gently kissing and touching Anna sitting next to her. The stars patiently flickering in the sky admired their pure, sincere love.
"One year," Alexis whispered. "I want at least fifty more with you."
"So do I," Anna replied. "My first and only love."
A surge of heat went through Alexis as they kissed. It was something she briefly experienced before, but now it was several times stronger, multiplied by the intimacy of the empty room, night sky and the atmosphere of their precious moment.
She knew what she wants. Right now.
Alexis stood up and closed the blinds on the windows.
"What?" Anna frowned. "What about watching the stars?"
"We can continue later," Alexis hugged Anna tightly and procceeded to a passionate kiss. Anna gladly complied. Then, in the heat of the moment, Alexis started to unbutton Anna's blouse, one button after another, Anna's pale skin flashing into the dim lit room.
Anna blushed and opened her eyes wide. "What... what are you doing?"
Alexis looked into her surprised eyes. If she saw any trace of fear or insecurity, she would stop immediately. But she found only curiosity, pleasant excitement and unconditial love.
She was ready.
Alexis opened Anna's blouse, grabbing her bare waist and pinning her to the bed with another kiss. "It's our anniversary gift," she whispered into Anna's ear. "Just relax and follow my lead."