Where Is Araminta Green? (ONC 2024)

Chapter 9: Cursed

Jordan was early. Way too early. About half an hour or so. While wandering up to the coffee shop where he had agreed to meet Christine Green, he contemplated whether he should go inside right away or kill some time by walking another lap around the block. That would save him the awkwardness of sitting alone at a table.

The smell of delicious coffee wafting by made the decision for him. Jordan had stayed up writing questions for Araminta's sister until the sun peered in between the blinds and Kiki started yowling for breakfast and could use the caffeine and sugar injection from a double vanilla fudge latte. Usually, Jordan drank his coffee black, with no sugar, milk, or other frills, but Derek had introduced him to the sweet brew during their extended study sessions in the library.

Upon stepping into the sleek coffee shop, with reflecting glass surfaces and a mural of a skyscraper skyline on the main wall, Jordan discovered a line to the register. Like any self-respectable modern citizen, Jordan pulled out his phone to distract himself while queuing. A message from Derek waited for him.

"Are you there yet?" his friend asked.

"Just stepped into the shop," Jordan replied."Gonna order one of those lethal concoctions you got me hooked on."

"Sweet!" Derek replied, accompanied by a string of sweets-related emojis, and, for some reason, a koala. He may have mistyped. "I'm just eager to know what you'll find out."

"You're gonna have to wait until the next episode then..." Jordan teased, knowing full well he would get online and tell Derek everything as soon as he arrived home.

"As if..." Derek replied, followed by an emoji with its tongue out, and another koala. Maybe it was his signature emoji or something.

Noticing that the person before him in line had just made their order, Jordan stuffed his phone back in his pocket. Before he could look up, he was surprised to hear his name called from beyond the counter.

"You're Jordan Thompson, right?" the barista asked. "Do you remember me from high school?"

Her peppy pigtails were replaced with a messy bun and instead of sporting a revealing crop top, she wore a coffee-stained polo shirt. No longer a cheerleader but instead a working woman. But the smile on those ever-red lips couldn't be mistaken.

"Val?" He exclaimed. "Of course... I know who you are. But—" He stopped himself before asking how on earth she remembered him. They'd never exchanged a word in high school, and Jordan certainly wasn't one to stand out from a crowd like Valeria Morovskaya.

"I've listened to your podcast," she explained, answering the question he hadn't asked. "I..." She looked around as if checking that her manager wasn't eavesdropping. "I think about her often. Araminta, I mean. Could I come over to your table in a bit? I can start my break as soon as my coworker arrives. There is something I want to tell you."

Jordan nodded, taken by surprise by the request. He had seen Araminta talking with Valeria once but he hadn't considered that the popular cheerleader may be as affected as him by the moody goth chick's vanishing act.

With a sweet foam-topped beverage in his hand, on which Valeria had created a wavy pattern of cocoa powder, Jordan found a seat at a corner table in the back. Since he planned to record his conversation with Christine, if she agreed to it, he wanted to make sure the ambiance was as optimal as possible, despite the public nature. She was the one who had suggested the coffee shop as a meeting spot and since Jordan didn't want to risk her declining the interview, he hadn't protested.

Taking a sip of vanilla-infused brew, Jordan pulled up his phone and notepad, preparing to read through his interview guide once again. Another message from his best and most impatient friend made Jordan snicker. "What about now?" Derek wrote. "Is she there yet?" Followed by, of course, a trio of koala emojis.