OCTOBER 17TH.
LUNA MARCH'S HOUSE:
UNDERGROUND BASEMENT

"WHAT THE HELL?" Yumi spat. "Breaking in was a different thing. Now, we have to steal too? I'm done with this!" Yumi spun on her heel and passed the threshold into another room having the long stairs that led her out of this basement. She shuddered at the darkness surrounding her fragile body. The temperature seemed to have dropped down.

She looked over her shoulders, wondering if anyone was following her. Much to her disappointment, she was alone. The only thing that trailed behind her was the light finding its way in the total darkness. A whisper echoed from the basement. It felt like a whole new world here as she climbed a couple of steps.

A sigh left her mouth. With a heavy heart-half-expecting Aphrodite to catch up to her-she climbed the remaining stairs. Her hand found the door. She stroked the cold metal surface to find a latch but after finding nothing but touch patterns, she used all her strength to shove the door-which Karan had closed on his way down-only to realise that it had no latch. Meaning, it was a one-way door.

Oh, dang.

"We're locked in here." She stomped back to the room-a mix of frustration and fatigue lacing her whispery voice. She held her head in her hand as her eyelids began to feel heavy.

"I don't think we have any other option but to steal. Yay," Lex said. Even when Yumi wasn't watching him, she knew that he was faking his enthusiasm. At least she wasn't the only one who opposed the idea of stealing and the criminal secret society that they were forced to be a part of. She had come a far way from who she used to be. She can't have a relapse again.

Yumi looked up to find Lex glancing at West with an unreadable look. West shrugged his narrow shoulders before he raised his hands in surrender. "Don't look at me like that," He said to Lex. "I played GTA. I didn't live in it!"

Karan's eyes lit up. "You played, too? Bro, I love that game. I haven't played any video games in a while." Karan said. "Hey, we should all play together sometime, like a gro-"

"Dude!" West half-yelled. "Read the room."

Thank you, West.

"Sorry. Just tryna lighten up the mood."

"Not helping," Yumi huffed and peered at Aphrodite who was not taking her eyes off of the far end of the wall. "Why are you so quiet? Is something going on in your head?"

Aphrodite snapped her head to Yumi and nodded. She strode towards the wall she was gaping at. "This wall looks a little...off. I wonder if..." Aphrodite nudged the wall. With low guttural noise, it opened like a door with ease.

"Oh, boy. This just doesn't end."

It's been a few hours, Yums and you're already exhausted? Oh, poor soul.

All of them walked across the threshold of the wall-like door and analysed the staircase that led them upstairs towards the real house. Aphrodite snatched the torch from Karan's hand. As a reflex, he let out a short "ugh" before being jabbed by West's hand asking him to keep it shut.

Aphrodite brushed her palm hand against the handle of the door and pushed it. The door made a jerking sound. She tried again but pulled the door this time. It made the same sound again. She frowned and uneasily bent down in her short dress. She quickly straightened.

"Yumi." She turned around. "We need you again." Yumi swallowed audibly. Her eyes momentarily paused on the outline of Aphrodite's body that was barely visible in the immense darkness. She walked with hesitant steps and analysed the lock before picking it in a matter of seconds.

"Woah, she gets faster by each minute," Karan mumbled under his breath only to receive a glare from Yumi. Aphrodite popped her head out of the door and looked around. She made a risky decision by flashing the torch around to find out that it was an empty living room and the door was just beside another staircase.

She turned around and held the door, making sure that it wouldn't be locked again. Her eyes roamed around everyone as she tried to interpret their faces. "So-" she mumbled, "-are we doing this?"

"No."

"Yes."

Yumi and Lex said in unison. Everyone turned to Lex. He scratched the back of his neck and said, "We don't seem to have a choice."

"Lex," West replied sternly. "You don't have the best experience at breaking out of the houses. Remember what happened last time?"

Lex glared at him. "That happened one time and besides, I don't want to be a buzz kill like Yumi."

"Hey!" She retorted.

"What?" Lex reasoned. "Look at you, you're saying no to everything. And I don't wanna be like you." He emphasized you like it was an insult which made Yumi even more furious.

"I'm. Not. A. Buzz. Kill." She pressed on each word.

I beg to differ.

"Eh." Karan blurted.

"Tsk. Fine. I can prove that I'm not a buzz kill. I'll steal whatever we have to under one condition." She raised her forefinger. "We return it tomorrow."

"How are we gonna return?" Karan said. "Oh, sorry. We broke into your house last night for a dare and stole a golden bracelet. We're truly sorry. Here, take it back and put better locks next time cuz our friend Yumi can pick em?" He mocked.

Aphrodite chuckled.

"No, we leave it on the porch with a nameless sorry note." Yumi folded her arms over her chest.

"Works for me," Aphrodite and Lex said in unison. Their eyes met for a second before quickly turning it away.

Just make out already.

"Okay, so..." Aphrodite took her phone out. The blinding light brightened her face. Her pupils contracted for a moment before she began, "We are told to steal a gold bracelet that is supposedly shaped like a star and a blue coloured soap. Let's split into two teams."

"I'll go with Karan," West announced.

"Hold on." Aphrodite glanced at West. "One of you should rent a car and park it outside the house. The remaining two groups will steal the objects and get in the car ASAP."

"I'll go rent a car." Karan raised his hand and took his phone from Aphrodite's hand. He started typing something on his phone.

"Yumi and I will sear-"

"Uh-no," West said. "You two girls are friends and friends means jokes and talking. You," He pointed at Aphrodite, "Come with me."

"No way. I am not going with him." Yumi made a face of distaste as she referred to Lex who rolled his eyes.

"Uh-okay. Whatever," West said with irritation. "Yumi and I will look in the living room, kitchen and bathroom," West said and took his phone out to switch the torch on.

"Lex and I will be upstairs." Aphrodite nodded.

Aphrodite opened the door for all of them. Karan was the first one to rush to the main door while Yumi took a turn to enter the kitchen. West started rummaging through the cabinets placed in the living room. Lex and Aphrodite sauntered upstairs. They went in the unoccupied guest. Aphrodite flickered her torch on the nightstand while ransacking through it. Meanwhile, Lex surveyed the bathroom.

"So, tell me..." Lex muttered. Through the tiny gap of the afar door, she watched him going through the items on the counter. She watched the reflection from the mirror of his loose chestnut brown curls falling in front of his eyes.

Aphrodite realized that she was staring at him and quickly turned her face away before she got caught red handed. "Mhmm?" She said as she tiptoed towards a cabinet.

"Are you the Black Hole?"

Aphrodite spun in his direction. "W-what?"

header image by Jérémie Crausaz.

hello, loves! how was the chapter? do you think Lex's assumption is correct? and why do you think Lex thinks that Aphrodite is the black hole?

do you ship anyone? I already have a vote on both Yudite (Yumi + Aphrodite) and Lex + Aphrodite (someone help me choose a ship name for them, please!)

anyway, have a wonderful day/night.

{ don't forget to vote and comment!}