Black Rose

Chapter 3

Kate was the first to snap out of her fear. Valerie, on the other hand, was still staring at her phone, probably willing the text to disappear. "We need to get out of here," Kate whispered urgently.

Valerie nodded, still not speaking. She tore her gaze from her phone and scanned the coffee shop. To her dismay, no one was looking in their direction or paying attention to them.

More importantly, not one single person in the room had their phone out.

In their haste, the girls hurried out of the coffee shop as quickly as they could, forgetting about their drinks which remained untouched. Valerie fumbled for her car keys and unlocked her car. Kate was barely in the car before Valerie was speeding out of the parking space.

They did not say a word until they were safely inside Kate's mansion. Kate led Valerie up to her spacious bedroom on the third floor, hurriedly passing the extravagant home theater and large game room, two of the rooms Kate frequently occupied.

Kate shut her bedroom door behind her and flopped onto her queen-sized bed lazily. The mattress sunk slightly under her weight, causing Kate to scramble to an upright position. "Who knew that a trip to Chic Coffee could be so creepy?"

Valerie nodded in agreement. A beat of silence followed. Kate waited in anticipation for Valerie to speak.

Meanwhile, Valerie was debating whether she should tell Kate her secret or deal with the task at hand. She quickly chose the first option, knowing that secrets would only tear their friendship apart. "I have to tell you something," she said, clearing her throat.

Kate perked up. Maybe this could explain why Valerie had not been her usual self back at the coffee shop. "Are you okay?" she asked for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

Valerie sighed. She knew that she had to tell Kate sooner or later. Might as well rip the band-aid off quickly and get it over with, figuratively speaking. "I've been thinking about this for a while but I want to run away." She paused, letting the news sink in.

Kate was shocked beyond words. She was certainly not expecting Valerie to be keeping a secret this huge. The only word out of her mouth was "where?"

"I was thinking somewhere tropical. Maybe Costa Rica," Valerie suggested. It remained a mystery to Kate whether she was trying to lighten the mood or be serious.

"Valerie, why do you want to run away? You have everything you want here: a big house, a loving family, a high social status. What more can you ask for?" Kate asked. She refrained from adding 'you have me'.

Valerie paused before answering with, "New York is great and all but... I don't know. Sometimes I feel like I have to be perfect and try to please everyone."

Kate shook her head. "No, Val. Please don't think that. The only person you should please is yourself. Besides, nobody's perfect and I know that all too well."

Valerie looked up at Kate, not sure what to make of Kate's confession. Kate's dad had left the family when she was three years old, thus leaving her mom to raise her alone. Kate didn't even remember her dad, much less talk about him.

"Kate, you're my best friend. When I said I wanted to run away, I didn't want to leave you behind," Valerie justified.

Kate gave her a small smile. "Trust me, I know. You like me way too much to leave me."

The girls laughed, a welcoming feeling in contrast to the negativity before. "By the way," Valerie added, "I'm glad I could tell you this. I didn't want to tell you at Chic Coffee."

Kate's smile dissipated. "I understand. Anyway, what do you think those texts were about?"

The girls fell silent. They did not know what to make of the situation. The whole scenario was rather creepy.

"I don't know. Whatever it is, I think we should tell this person to leave us alone," Kate suggested.

Valerie nodded in agreement. It seemed best to eliminate the problem rather than pursue it. The girls reached for their phones and turned them on, previously shutting them off due to the paranoia of being tracked.

Valerie paled when she noticed another text on the screen from the same number. "I got another text from Black Rose."

Kate froze when she saw the same text on her phone: If you girls are still interested, please reply 'I want to be a spy'. We really need your help in our mission. We have sent each of you a letter in the mail. Please let us know as soon as possible. Thanks.

Just the action of receiving another text sent Kate fuming with anger. "I'm done with this person's prank!" she said angrily. She punched in the words leave us alone and paused above the send button when she heard Valerie yell out.

"Wait a minute! Maybe I can join Black Rose. After all, I don't really like it here in New York," Valerie proposed.

Kate's mouth dropped open in astonishment. "What? Absolutely not, Valerie! You can't just run off and join a suspicious spy organization that watches us!"

Valerie ignored Kate as she hurriedly typed a reply. She figured this was the best plan of action, however much Kate disagreed. "Valerie, please don't do this!" Kate begged.

"I have to. Hey, you can come with me," Valerie said. She finally stopped typing. Kate looked at Valerie's text message and saw her reply with the words that had been repeated in each text message: I want to be a spy.

Kate glared at her disapprovingly. "You pretty much just signed your life away to some stranger who probably doesn't even have a spy organization!" Even to her own ears, she knew she sounded ridiculous.

Valerie brushed her words away as if Kate's words were dust and Valerie's hand was the broom. Without warning, but much expected, Kate's phone beeped with an incoming text. It read: Kate, you should join Black Rose just like Valerie. It will be a great experience for both of you. We will not leave you alone until you agree.

Kate let out a grunt. She knew she was about to give in to defeat, which was a rare occasion. "It looks like I have to agree to this."

Valerie grew more excited as Kate picked up her phone. The phone felt especially heavy in her palm, although the company manufacturer had boasted how light it was. Oh, the irony.

"Let's just get this over with," Kate said begrudgingly.

Every tap on her screen was a struggle as she typed in the six words she never wanted to type again: I want to be a spy.