Day in the story: 4th October (Saturday)

Sophie and I definitely wanted to dress to impress, it was early October, so we had to hit that sweet spot between sexy and not freezing.

I wore this emerald green mini dress that hugged all the right places. Super simple, but the satin shimmer would catch the light in the club just right. I threw my hair up in a high ponytail, my go-to, so the waves still did their thing but stayed off my shoulders. With my freckles and hazel eyes, the green just worked. I layered a cropped black faux leather jacket over it, mostly for walking between spots and went with black strappy heels. My makeup was dewy: soft gold on the lids, winged liner and a berry gloss. Pretty, but not too much.

Sophie looked amazing, as always. She's got this icy vibe with her silver-grey eyes and golden blonde hair and she leaned into it perfectly. She wore a metallic two-piece set: long-sleeve crop top and a high-waisted mini skirt in a shimmery gunmetal shade that made her eyes pop. Her hair was down in soft, tousled waves and she had on a white faux fur jacket that made her look like she stepped out of a fashion campaign. She went with silver heels to match and did a smokey eye with a nude lip. Totally glam, but not like she was trying too hard.

We for sure made a statement just standing outside our building waiting for the cab. The plan? Kick off the night at Blue Velvet downtown, our go-to when we're in the mood for cocktails, dancing and a little bit of mischief.

"So, Sophie… wanna tell me what's really been bothering you lately?" I asked.

"You noticed? Of course you noticed, Lex." She looked surprised, then almost instantly relieved. Good.

"I'd been seeing this guy recently. For a while, actually. We weren't exclusive or anything." Of course they weren't. "But… I kind of thought we were, you know?"

"He cheated on you." I didn't ask. I just said it, letting the words fall into the cold night air. I hadn't dated much in my life, mostly back in high school. But my other life, the one filled with crime and shadows, always got in the way. Still, I understood what it felt like when the trust you gave someone got torn to shreds.

"Technically, it wasn't cheating," she said. "Like I said, I never called him my boyfriend and we never actually talked about being exclusive. But I just figured… if I didn't need anyone else, he wouldn't either."

"Still hurts all the same."

"All the same." She looked down. "And now my parents are divorcing, same kind of thing. So yeah, I've been feeling a little down."

Just then, our cab pulled up. I double-checked the destination with the driver while he openly stared at both of us, swallowing hard. Gross. We got in and he finally started driving. We kept talking, softer now.

"You tell him how you felt?" I asked, though I already knew the answer. She never shares the hard stuff, not really, not when it's raw, especially not with someone who just hurt her.

"No. He kind of burned that bridge already. I don't think there's anything to save. He wasn't into me the way I was into him. Should I be glad it happened early on? I feel like I should, but I'm not."

"Screw what you're supposed to feel, Sophie. Society's full of crap, always telling women how to behave, how to react, how long to cry. You were hurt. You get to feel it."

"You really think so?" Her voice was small. Poor girl, she'd been taught since forever how a 'good woman' should handle heartbreak. Smile, stay graceful, move on quietly.

"I really do, Soph. Screw that guy and screw the rules. Feel bad for as long as you need, until you don't anymore. And maybe tonight, just for a little, we fake it. Have a good time." I shot her a mischievous smile.

She laughed and hugged me. "Thanks, Lex. You're a good friend."

She whispered it like it was something fragile. And it stung a little, because… I wasn't. Not completely. She didn't know about the other half of me, the thief, the magic, the lies. All she knew was the artist. And maybe that's all I wanted her to see. But after everything she'd just shared, maybe now was the time to stop pretending.

"I'm not as good as I should be," I said, quickly, before I could take it back. I had to force my hand.

"What do you mean?" she asked, pulling back from the hug.

"I haven't told you everything about me." I couldn't meet her eyes.

She looked at me for a long second, then leaned in and whispered, "Is it about your side job?"

What? How?

"I'm not stupid, Alexa. And I study economics. You've had more money than your job should ever give you. I asked Peter about it ages ago, he told me, but swore me to secrecy. Said it wasn't his story to tell."

A single tear caught at the edge of my eye.

"You're not mad I didn't tell you?"

"No. I know it weighed on you. I've just been waiting for when you'd be ready."

"Does it make you think less of me?"

"No. I know you didn't have a choice."

That hit harder than I expected.

"I do now, though, Soph. I have a choice… and I still keep doing it."

"I wasn't talking about the choice to do certain things." Her words were vague, but intentional. I appreciated that. "I meant the choice to shape your own future. That was taken from you. Stolen." She said the last word slowly, like she meant every letter.

She'd really thought about this.

"I never looked at it like that. Thank you."

"Well, seems like we both need a distraction tonight."

"We do," I agreed.

And I decided, I'd tell her about the magic too. But first, I'd make her a reminder piece. Something to help her remember.

**********

We met up with Hannah and Elena first, then Peaches and Zoe joined us not long after. Hannah and Elena had gone for a similar vibe to me and Sophie, dresses paired with jackets. Hannah chose cool shades of blue that matched her quiet confidence, while Elena, with her rich Hispanic complexion, went bold with rose-red tones and lips the color of fresh blood. She looked absolutely stunning, like she knew it and didn't need anyone to say it out loud.

Then there was Peaches, true to form in her own quirky style, jeans and a long, loose tunic featuring a cartoon cat wearing headphones. It was weirdly adorable and somehow totally her. Zoe, meanwhile, rocked tight white pants and a black shirt with crisp white stripes down the sleeves. She looked amazing, of course. She always did.

Zoe and Sophie could honestly stroll into a fashion contest wearing whatever random thing they pulled out of their closets and walk out with the trophy. Should've made them insufferable. But it didn't. They were just cool. Effortlessly so. A reminder to the rest of us that yeah, sometimes life really isn't fair.

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As we gathered and joined the line, the girls slipped naturally into their usual pre-party banter. But my eyes were caught on a familiar poster clinging to the wall nearby. One of mine.

I had painted it back when I was trying to stir the ghost haunting my part of the city, Shiroi. It still hung there, barely, the top edge curled and threatening to give in to gravity at any second. Yet it remained. A fragile thread of memory. A reminder of that night when I flipped the script and turned myself into the bait, just to meet the man who upended everything I thought I knew.

Funny thing is, it feels like only he and I ever truly noticed those posters. I made several, some in graffiti form in even larger dimensions across the city, bold and impossible to miss, or so I thought. He removed pieces of them where he could, unraveled parts carefully, but a few were just painted over. Life went back to normal for him, it seemed. Or maybe it had never truly shifted, only his pride was bruised. He shaved his head and that alone was enough to blur the resemblance between him and the man on the poster. Enough to keep eyes from connecting dots.

At least, I never realized during those classes I took with him. None of the other students seemed to suspect a thing. Maybe they never saw the posters at all.

"What do you think, Alexa?" Sophie's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, snapping me back into the present.

"Sorry, I zoned out. What were you asking?"

"We were debating if Toxic is a bad song or a work of art," she said. "And who better to settle it than an actual artist?"

"Toxic by Britney?"

"The very one," Peaches grinned. "I say it's a banger."

"I will never be tired of Toxic," Elena declared with dramatic flair, hands on her hips. "It's a classic. If it plays tonight, I'm dragging all of you to the dance floor."

"I don't care if it's toxic or safe," Hannah added dryly. "We're hitting the floor either way."

We all laughed, the kind of easy, glittering laughter that made the cold sting a little less.

"You didn't give us your verdict," Sophie pressed.

"I'm no music critic, girls," I said, smiling. "But I like it. It's easy to dance to."

"I'm a bit disappointed," Sophie declared, wrapping up our verdict on the song. "I thought you'd have better taste than those plebeians."

"Oh, but I'm just a pleb myself, milady," I replied with a smirk. "Beauty's a slippery thing to pin down, you know?"

"Oh please, Lex, not tonight," Hannah shot back with a laugh. "We love your artistic takes, but tonight? We don't care. Right, girls?"

The group cheered, though Zoe and Peaches were quieter, maybe still new to us, or maybe they actually cared. Either way, I didn't mind being the butt of their jokes.

"Okay, fine. I'll let you be uneducated tonight."

No sooner had I said that than we reached the club's entrance, where two bouncers sized us up like hungry predators.

"You five can come in. Girl in the t-shirt stays," said the bigger one, a bald white guy, pointing directly at Peaches.

"Racist much?" Elena shot back immediately.

"Either she comes in, or none of us do," Zoe said firmly. We all nodded and for the first time since I'd known her, Peaches looked down.

"I don't care what her race is," the bald guy grunted. "She's just not dressed well enough for this club."

"Oh, we didn't realize we were talking to a fashion critic," Sophie quipped.

"More like a harsh critic," Hannah added. "It's always easier to judge others."

The guy didn't budge. What could I do?

"So, you're saying if she wore a dress, you'd let her in?" Zoe asked.

"Dress and heels."

"Oh fuck no. Not my style," Peaches said. "Sorry, girls."

"Wait a second," I said, stepping closer to her. I lowered my voice. "You only have to wear it to get in. Then you can ditch it. Would you do that?"

"I don't have a dress in my pocket, Alexa. Do you?"

"No. But give me five minutes and I'll have both heels and a dress. You wear my shoe size, right?"

"Shoes, yes. But I'm pretty sure I wouldn't fit into any of your dresses."

"Give me five minutes, like I said. Okay?"

"You girls coming in or what?" the bouncer barked. "There's a line."

"I'm coming in," I said. "They'll wait five minutes. Okay, big guy?"

"Sure. Go ahead." He waved me through.

The girls were all stunned, except Peaches, who turned and started talking to them while I disappeared inside. Five minutes. That's all I needed.

I darted to the toilets. I'd been to this club before. Their women's bathroom looked like a modern artist tried to design a sex dungeon but got commissioned for a pink subway station instead. I never saw the men's, but honestly, I didn't want to.

Once inside a stall, I locked the door and touched the necklace hidden beneath my collar, my Lifeline Talisman. With a blink and twist of space, it transported me to my Domain. My sanctuary. My rules.

I sprinted to the painting on the wall, a rendition of my own room. I focused. Portaled in. No time to waste.

I grabbed my black heels from under the bed and yanked open a drawer, rummaging to the bottom. There. A black dress, simple, elegant, slightly larger than usual. One of my alternate personas had required a bit more body; I'd kept it just in case. The cut was designed to look like someone trying to look thinner. It would be perfect.

Dress in hand I turned to my laptop. Google: Minty Jay. He was an artist-photographer who captured surreal, dreamlike public spaces, I'd remembered him shooting in this very club. Scrolling fast, I found what I needed: a photo of the restroom I'd just left.

I touched the screen. Take me there.

The world twisted like a wrung-out towel and spat me back into the place I left just three minutes ago.

A woman stood by the mirror, staring, lipstick frozen mid-application. She looked like she'd just seen a ghost. I didn't stop to explain, reality would soften the edges of what she saw. She'd blame alcohol or exhaustion or both.

I slipped out the restroom door, heels and dress in hand and rushed back to the entrance where the girls were waiting.

"What the hell?" Elena said as soon as she saw me striding back with heels in one hand and a dress in the other. "How did you do that?"

"You drugged some poor girl and undressed her in three minutes?" Peaches asked, not even looking up from her phone. Even the bouncers looked a little impressed.

"Does she need to put it on here, or can she change inside?" I asked them.

"Rules are rules," the bald one said flatly.

"Oh, come on," Elena groaned.

But Peaches didn't argue. She just shrugged, grabbed the dress and heels, threw the dress over her long tunic-style tee and stepped into the shoes. The dress hugged her tighter than it had me, but she made it work. Honestly, she looked good.

The bouncers glanced her over, then nodded. That was it. A win.

We all swept inside like we owned the place.

"Seriously, Lex," Elena said, falling into step beside me. "How the hell did you do that in under five minutes? It's impossible."

"A girl's gotta have her secrets," I said with a grin. "Be glad we're in and have fun."

"Oh, I will," she said and practically danced off into the crowd.

I never envisioned the Lifeline Talisman would first be used in a situation like this. But wasn't Peaches's life on the line? Not in the dramatic, fire-and-brimstone way, but in the quiet, sharp way people get cut out of moments they're supposed to belong to.

She would've felt small if I hadn't stepped in. Maybe she still does. But at least now she's inside, with all of us. That counts for something.

Once we were in, the bass hit us like a second heartbeat, vibrating through the floor and into our chests. The lights were low, flickering in violet and gold, like dusk dipped in neon. Bodies moved everywhere: grinding, swaying, pulsing to the music. The air was thick with sweat, vodka and expensive cologne.

Sophie grabbed my hand and yanked me into the crush of the crowd without hesitation. Hannah followed, arms already raised to the beat. Zoe appeared minutes later, drinks in hand.

I took a sip, warmth spreading instantly. Some overconfident remix of a 2000s banger blasted through the speakers. Sophie rolled her eyes, but still moved, her hips syncing to the rhythm like her body didn't care what her brain thought.

Peaches was doing a goofy shoulder move that somehow turned into real dancing. She'd already ditched the heels and the dress in the lounge we'd claimed. Elena was deep in conversation near the bar, leaning in with casual ease.

I stayed with the others, letting the music take over. My dress clung to my legs in the heat, but I didn't care. I was here, with my girls, hair swinging, laughter bubbling up from nowhere.

Sophie spun me into a twirl, then shouted over the music, "Let's hit the lounge after the next one?"

"Yes! I'll gather everyone," I shouted back.

The DJ shifted tracks, something darker, heavier. Lights dipped low, casting everyone in golden shadows. For a moment, I closed my eyes and simply felt it, the pulse, the music, the weightlessness of everything but this exact moment.

Zoe leaned in, breath warm against my ear. "You're good at this, Lex."

"Thank you," I whispered back, not really sure what she meant, but honestly, it didn't matter.

We danced for a few more minutes. Bodies moving in rhythm with the music's pulse. A couple of guys mustered the courage to approach, but we were already peeling away, leaving them behind with disappointment.

We hit the lounge soon after. Even Elena managed to unglue herself from the guy she'd been talking to at the bar.

"Thank you," Sophie said. "I needed that. Even those stupid bouncers… and how you turned it around, Alexa, it makes me hopeful."

"Cheers to that!" Peaches said, raising her full glass.

"Cheers!" we all echoed, clinking glasses like something sacred had just passed between us.

"Seriously, Alexa, just how?" Elena pressed. "I need to know."

"Elena," Zoe started, then gave me a look and a little smirk. "I feel like an explanation would just ruin the magic of the moment." She winked at me. "Let it go."

"I agree," Sophie added.

That finally shut Elena up. Thankfully. Because I had no excuse that would've worked anyway.

"Are we really going to change clubs tonight?" Peaches asked after finishing her drink. I understood why she'd be hesitant.

"We don't have to," Sophie replied. "Besides Cerberus at the door, this place is actually pretty nice."

"Thanks, Sophie," Peaches said softly.

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