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Wednesday, August 10, 2016

One Page: Currently Untitled

One page of new work.

For K'Zara Croft's 21st birthday someone shot her sister, Amara, and she felt it.

Partying on the second floor of Club One with a legally purchased Long Island in one hand, the night had been fabulous. Even the occasional grope from the not-gay boys and the very-gay girls failed to dampen her mood. She was 21 in one of the best drinking cities in the United States. Tonight was a good night. At 2 a.m., aware of the bar's imminent closure, she stumbled out onto the sidewalk and brushed her shoulder length locs away from her face. She breathed in the tainted air of the smokers as she walked past ignoring the appreciative whistle that followed. Coffee always said a man who whistled rather than introduce himself thought you were a dog and if you followed that, you'd end up with fleas.

Jefferson Street led down into City Market where some places were still lit while others had gone dark. People sat out under the Spanish moss draped trees smoking and talking with drinks in their hands or settled nearby. Zara had left her own plastic cup behind. Nothing in it, no reason to keep it. At the Broughton Street corner, she started looking for cabs. If she didn't find one, she'd have to hoof it home. Granted home wasn't that far, but anything that put her closer to falling into bed was not to be missed.

Zara fanned herself with one distracted hand. The hot humid air clung to her white t-shirt like a fog. Further down the street, a cab turned toward her. She threw her arm up to get its attention.

"Hey!"

Please don't!

Zara snapped her head around fully expecting her twin to be standing there chiding her for staying out so late. She was probably asleep in her favorite chair with a book on her chest. Then why did she sound terrified?

"Mara?"

A gun went off. Mara screamed until she gurgled. Zara felt as if she had been punched in the chest and sat down hard on the pavement. Putting her hand to her chest to check her heart, she came away with wet heat as black roses crowded out her vision.

Mara, what happened?

The world disappeared under a coal colored shroud as feet ran toward her.

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