The Lost Heir (Book I)- The Violet City

Uninvited

The winds of a delicate escape beat across her face as her mother's old roller skates swept her through Culver Village Square. The hotel's trolley had taken her right to the center of their little city within a city. It was odd to those who lived outside of Los Angeles to picture the quaint but oppressively congested neighborhoods that filled it. Culver Hills was one of the towns on the Westside of Los Angeles that had hills rather than a beach inside its borders. But it had a lot of things to make up for that. A Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's, a Barnes and Noble, and a lot of really good places to eat. Culver Hills did not have a trolley of its own run by the city like a few of the neighboring towns did. It was the Foxworthy Hotel that ran it. And with it in such bad shape, she did not know how much longer that would be.

She waved to the old man who stood outside his antique store like he did everyday. He grudgingly have her a smile and a wave and went back to polishing a bronze looking statue he had on display just outside the front of his store. She loved people trusted each other that much to keep their items on display outside. She also loved how seriously her neighborhood took the holidays. Sprinklings of them were everywhere. Mainly Christmas, but touches of Hanukah and the Solstice hung from several shops.

She saw a man step outside of a small restaurant to put out the chalk board stand with its daily specials. Tuna melt. Cheery and walnut salad. Bacon and chive cheddar soup. 

Her stomach grumbled. She'd forgotten to eat in her haste to leave the hotel. Such a circumstance landed her in front of the hostess station of one of her favorite places to eat outside of the hotel. It was just as well. She didn't always have to be at the Foxworthy, did she?  She decided to stop and satisfy her hunger. She sat on a nearby bench, removed her skates and took out a pair of chocolate brown loafers from the backpack she was carrying. After switching her shoes, she slung the skates over her shoulder and headed to the restaurant. 

"Welcome to Cake 'n' Honey. My name's Max. How may I help you?" a teenage boy said in a bored tone as she approached the counter. New kid. She read his nametag to make sure she remembered him next time. She and Lana prided themselves on knowing all of the staff. Like taking the bus, having a place to go outside of the Foxworthy certainly created a space for independence.  

Max Sepulveda was the new boy's full name. She locked it in tightly to her memory. She was actually good at remembering names. She liked the way they always seemed to fit with people's faces. With the exception of that kid, Pythian. That name didn't fit with anyone's face. Though if it needed an owner, she supposed that the odd boy was the best candidate. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten about him in the excitement of the past few days. He was probably the key to all this strangeness. She wouldn't be surprised if he knew where the lost heir was. She pushed the image of the boy's face from her mind and returned her focus to Max, noticing the half-eaten triple-chocolate brownie he'd tucked behind the register. A rule-breaker. Very good to know.

"May I have the back table?"

"Yeah, sure." The lanky caramel-skin-toned boy led her to a table tucked in the corner of the shop. As he handed her the menu she already had memorized, his shirt-sleeve lifted, and she spotted the edge of a tattoo on his bicep. Not surprising for a teenager, but a little uncharacteristic of a worker at Cake n' Honey. "Your server will be right with you." Max cat-yawned. He was probably a partier. Out all night.

She ordered tea and a plum bun, and then took out her journal and scribbled ferociously:

Musetta-

I know Jack Heel is the lost heir and that he's alive. Getting into Brightwood is going to be like trying to get into Fort Knox.

Just as she took a bite into her second plum bun, her telephone jingled a ringtone she knew all too well. "Isabella! It's just 9 o'clock in the morning. Where are you?"