The next day in Novera…
Seated on the desk with his feet hanging off the side, Haji turned to the person fixing the shelf in the corner of the office.
"Seriously, Amala, do you think she's dead?" Haji asked, only to get a smack on the head from Silo.
"Haji! How can you say that?!" Silo fumed. "Lola just took a vacation—how could you say she's dead!"
Haji rubbed the back of his head, wincing at Silo, who was huffing and puffing like a storm cloud. The latter marched toward the long couch, huffing even louder.
"Goodness, I'm just kidding," Haji muttered. "But Amala finally arrived in Novera, and Lola ditched her when they agreed to meet. Isn't that strange to you?"
Besides, the text message they'd received had been suspicious. Too dry for his taste. Lola's texts were usually short, but this one… something about it felt off. It didn't sound like her at all.
