Black Rose

Chapter 2

"There's a spot right there," Kate exclaimed, sticking her hand out the window and pointing at an empty parking space. Valerie pulled into the space, which happened to be relatively close to the entrance.

The girls stepped out of the car and joined the mass of people crowding the sidewalk. The crowd mostly consisted of people in business suits, perhaps hurrying back to work from their lunch break.

This area of downtown was also filled with many teenagers who looked to be about Valerie and Kate's age. Teenage girls walked past, either drinking a disposable cup of Chic Coffee or holding large shopping bags in hand. Teenage boys whizzed by on skateboards or joked around with their friends while eating burgers from the burger joint next door.

Valerie couldn't help but smile as they approached the coffee shop entrance. The general hectic attitude of downtown always brought a smile to her face, although she could not pinpoint why. In her eyes, in order to maintain a productive life, one needed to stay busy at all times.

The bells on the door announced Valerie and Kate's entrance. Nicole, the bubbly cashier who seemed to live at this coffee shop, greeted them as they walked up to the counter.

"Hey you two! What can I get you on this fine afternoon?" Nicole said, speaking a mile a minute.

"I will be getting the strawberry banana smoothie with a hint of mango," Valerie ordered. Nicole typed the order into the electronic cash register and turned to Kate expectedly.

"I will take a triple chocolate frappuccino," Kate ordered quietly. Her craving for something sweet outweighed her shame for not getting something healthier.

The girls payed for their coffees and took a seat at what they called Their Booth. Valerie had come up with the name after she noticed that they always sat there whenever they came to Chic Coffee.

As she waited for her order, Valerie looked around the cafe. Pale green, blue, and white stripes of wallpaper covered the walls. The white marble floor gleamed, showing signs of being freshly waxed. Individuals of all different ages, although mostly teenagers, mingled at the authentic mahogany wood tables. Booths were lined along the right wall with seats made of plush black cushions and tables with checkerboard patterns.

"So how was school?" Kate asked, trying to make conversation in the uncomfortable silence that seemed to follow after the girls had taken their seats.

Valerie shrugged, answering with only two words. "Not bad."

Kate glanced at Valerie with both concern and a hint of skepticism. Valerie tended to be quite talkative, especially after school. There was always gossip to share, whether it be a new student's arrival to the school or another outfit that Wendy had copied. Today, it was the latter.

"Wendy happened to be wearing the same skirt as me," Kate said, rolling her eyes. She didn't know whether she should be honored or creeped out. Before she could decide, Valerie stepped in.

"She really appreciates your style. She is such a copycat though," Valerie chimed in with a small smile.

Kate shrugged. "Appreciation or not, she can really get on my nerves sometimes."

The conversation was cut short when the girls' drinks finally arrived. Nicole placed the drinks on the table and practically skipped away, she was so energized. Kate watched Valerie as she slowly mixed her smoothie with her straw. She was staring off into space, deep in thought.

Not wanting to pry, but wanting information nonetheless, Kate asked tentatively, "Hey, Val. Are you alright?"

Valerie snapped out of her daze instantly. "Oh, yeah! I'm perfectly fine. Hey, what's with the triple chocolate?"

Kate blushed, not wanting to get into this topic. Valerie was super skinny but Kate had a bit more curves that she was not proud of. Valerie wasn't teasing her, just watching out for her.

The girls sat there awkwardly, Kate not answering. She began to grow uncomfortable. She knew Valerie wasn't telling her something but she didn't know what or why.

The silence was shattered when a beep rang through the air. Valerie turned to her phone, instantly recognizing her customized ringtone. Her phone flashed with an incoming text message. Valerie unlocked her phone in front of Kate, not worrying to hide her password since Kate already knew it by heart.

"Who is that?" Kate asked, attempting to peer over Valerie's shoulder. It was not an invasion of privacy but more of an endearing, caring action.

Valerie frowned down at the number. "I don't know."

Kate listened intently as Valerie read the message out loud: Hello Valerie. You have been invited to join Black Rose, the world's largest spy organization. Please reply 'I want to be a spy' if you want to know more information.

Valerie sighed in annoyance and rolled her eyes. "I bet you this is some sort of prank. You know, it's probably Ryan. He has been trying to get my attention all week."

Her fire engine red fingernail was about to tap the delete button before Kate yelled "No!"

Valerie glanced at Kate in utter confusion. Did she know more about this text than she was letting on? If so, why was she not sharing? Best friends were supposed to share everything, right?

"I just think we can get more information later," Kate explained.

Valerie nodded, too tired to argue. The secret she was harboring had been weighing her down all day. She wanted to get it off her chest, but a busy coffee shop was an inappropriate place to do so, in her opinion.

Suddenly, another beep split the silence, but this time it was Kate's phone with an incoming text. The message read: Hello Kate. Thanks for not deleting Valerie's message. Anyway, you have been invited to join Black Rose, the world's largest spy organization. Please reply 'I want to be a spy' if you want more information.

In that moment, time seemed to have frozen as Kate and Valerie gasped in fear. A terrifying realization hit them as they sat in this brightly lit coffee shop, no longer enjoying the positive atmosphere: there was someone in Chic Coffee sending these messages.

And they were watching them.

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Author's Note: Hey guys. Make sure to look at the cast of characters I included. Enjoy the story.