The alley smelled like rain and old electricity.
Neon signs flickered somewhere above, their colors dripping into puddles along the cracked pavement. Pink fractured into blue. Blue curdled into green. Shadows stretched too long, clinging to the walls like they were alive.
Lorna walked alone.
Her jacket hung crooked on her shoulders, hair wild, curls damp at the ends. Her boots splashed softly as she moved, each step unhurried. Too unhurried.
Footsteps followed.
Three sets. Loose at first. Lazy. The sound of men who thought the night belonged to them.
Lorna's hands tightened.
Not into fists. Not yet. Just enough to feel her nails bite skin. She didn't turn around. Her eyes flicked instead, catching reflections in the puddles, the glint of movement in glass and metal. She counted exits like a habit she wished she didn't have. Fire escape. Dead end. Trash-strewn corner.
The pain came from somewhere deep in her chest, low enough that it never reached her throat.
She stopped.
The footsteps did too.
For a moment, the alley held its breath.
Then Lorna turned.
What followed was not a fight.
It was a correction.
Her body moved before thought could slow it down. Close. Fast. Violent in the way predators are violent, without waste or hesitation. Elbows snapped. Knees folded. Breath left bodies in wet, panicked sounds. Every strike landed exactly where it needed to, like she'd done this a thousand times and hated herself for knowing how.
When it was over, three men lay scattered across the pavement, groaning or not moving at all.
Lorna stood above them, chest rising and falling hard. Her teeth were bared in a grin she didn't remember choosing.
The neon flickered.
Black swallowed everything.
⸻
Warmth replaced the cold.
Muted sunlight spilled through half-drawn curtains, dust drifting lazily through the air. The city hummed outside, distant and harmless, like it couldn't hurt anyone if it tried.
Lorna was curled on the couch, asleep.
Her head rested in Maya's lap, dark curls spilling across her cheek. A faint smile tugged at her lips, soft and unguarded in a way she never was awake.
Maya watched her quietly.
Pale in the morning light, she looked almost unreal, like something painted into the room rather than living in it. Her fingers brushed Lorna's hair aside with careful tenderness, as if even that might wake something dangerous.
Satisfied, she returned to her book.
The dream didn't loosen its grip.
Behind Lorna's closed eyes, shadows stirred. The alley bled back in, fractured and quiet. Flashes of motion. The rush of adrenaline. A heartbeat that wasn't calm yet, no matter how safe the room was.
Her breathing shifted.
Then her eyes snapped open.
For a single, suspended beat, Lorna stared straight ahead, blank and sharp, like she was assessing the room for exits that didn't exist. The softness drained from her face, replaced by something feral and alert.
Maya didn't flinch.
"How's it hanging, sleepyhead?" she asked lightly.
"A little to the left."
The moment broke.
Lorna stretched, yawned, rolling the stiffness from her shoulders. She stood and wandered toward the kitchen, movements fluid and casual, as if she hadn't just woken from a nightmare.
Maya watched her go, closing her book with a quiet sigh before following.
⸻
Morning settled around them.
Lorna leaned against the kitchen counter, arms crossed, watching sunlight crawl across the wall. A thin chain rested against her collarbone, catching the light every time she shifted.
Maya stepped closer.
"So…" she said. "You feeling any better?"
"Yeah," Lorna replied. "I'm fine."
The words landed flat.
A pause stretched between them, delicate and loaded. Maya's brow furrowed, sadness flickering across her face before she smoothed it away.
"Good," she said softly. "I just want you to be okay."
Another pause.
Lorna shrugged, small and defensive, eyes still fixed on the window.
Maya tried again, a touch of playfulness slipping into her voice. "So… you think you're well enough to go out tonight? Caroline, Gary, and I have this party we're going to. I really want you to come."
Lorna exhaled through her nose. "You know I'm not really a fan of those things. People."
"I know," Maya said quickly, smiling. "But you might have fun. Try new things."
Lorna didn't answer.
Maya leaned closer, fingers brushing Lorna's arm, gentle but insistent. "Come on. Just this once. For me."
At last, Lorna glanced at her. Her expression was unreadable, thoughts clearly somewhere else entirely.
"…Fine."
Maya beamed, darting around the counter to hug her. Lorna stiffened immediately, looking profoundly annoyed, but she didn't pull away.
Love, frustration, worry, and devotion knotted together in the quiet space between them.
⸻
By midday, Lorna disappeared into routine.
The café smelled like coffee and sugar and overheated machines. She moved behind the counter with quiet efficiency, delivering drinks and pastries with polite distance. Most people barely noticed her.
The camera would have lingered on her hands.
Precise. Controlled. Steady in a way that felt practiced.
The kind of hands that knew exactly how much force was too much.
Across the café, near the window where sunlight dulled into glassy reflections, Detective Mare sat perfectly still.
She didn't look like someone waiting. She looked like someone watching something inevitable.
Kimori sat opposite her, leaning forward, elbows on the table, fingers tapping once every few seconds. Impatience radiated off him in small, useless bursts. He glanced at Mare, then away, then back again, as if waiting for her to say something normal.
She didn't.
Outside the window, two sisters stood with an ice cream cone between them. The younger one hovered too close. Her feet shifted. Her shoulders angled just slightly inward.
Mare's eyes narrowed.
The girl's hand twitched. Not reaching. Not yet. Testing distance. Timing. The older sister laughed at something, attention drifting just enough to create space.
Mare watched every millimeter of it.
"See how she's angling her body?" Mare said softly, almost conversational, as if they were discussing the weather. "She knows she can't just grab it. Watch her feet. Watch how she distracts her sister with her voice."
Kimori followed her gaze, then scoffed.
"You've been watching a little girl steal ice cream," he said, half-laughing, half-exasperated, "for ten minutes."
"No," Mare replied, not looking away. "She's planning. Calculating risk. Testing boundaries."
The girl shifted again, closer now. Her voice rose. Laughter. A distraction.
"Every tiny action has a purpose," Mare continued. "Each one is an entry point."
Kimori shook his head. "And you're telling me this is relevant how?"
"It just is."
He exhaled sharply. "You're wasting our time, Sam. We need to figure out how we're gonna enter this place."
Mare leaned back slightly, still tracking the girls outside.
"She's smart," she said. "But she doesn't realize how many openings she actually has." Her tone stayed level, almost gentle. "She could take it by force. Push her sister down. Or she could convince her she needs to share. Given the size difference, she's already in the position to do so."
Kimori stared at her.
"What in the fuck are you talking about," he said flatly. "This has no merit to our conversation."
Mare finally turned her head toward him.
"This is exactly how we approach it," she said. "They don't just let anyone walk in. We observe. We wait. We find the opening. One small, calculated step at a time."
Outside, the younger girl laughed again, inching closer. The older sister sighed, defeated, and handed over the cone. A second later, she pulled the younger one into a hug, both of them sharing the mess, smiling.
Mare noted it. Filed it away.
"It's all in the small details," she said. "Miss one, and the whole plan fails. Same way she'd drop the ice cream if she rushed."
Kimori stared at her, caught between amusement and concern.
"You're insane."
"Yeah," Mare said serenely.
Behind them, a presence passed.
Lorna moved through the café with a tray balanced effortlessly in her hands, body loose but precise. Not hurried. Not careless. She slipped past their table, set a drink down for another customer, then returned with Mare's tea.
"Here you are, ma'am."
"Thank you, hun."
Their smiles met briefly. Polite. Unremarkable.
Mare's eyes followed Lorna for half a second longer than necessary. The way she walked. The way her shoulders stayed relaxed while everything else stayed ready.
Kimori didn't notice.
"And how exactly are we sneaking in?" he asked.
Mare glanced back out the window as the sisters finished their ice cream together.
"We find someone to be our friend."
She turned to Kimori and smiled. It was disarming. Careful. Dangerous in its calm.
"How do you feel about cosplay, Justin?"
Kimori's face drained of color.
"Please," he said. "For the love of God, don't make me dress like a woman again."
"You're not down for experimenting?" Mare chuckled softly. "That's not very modern of you."
"That wasn't funny."
"I thought you looked pretty cute."
Kimori groaned. "Never again."
Mare lifted her tea, eyes drifting once more to the café floor, where Lorna moved like someone who didn't yet know she was being studied.
Not hunted.
Not yet.
Maya lay sprawled across the bed, pale limbs loose against rumpled sheets, eyes fixed on the ceiling like it might answer her back if she stared long enough.
Late afternoon light filtered through the curtains, warm and forgiving. Clothes littered the floor in soft chaos. Shoes lined up with deliberate neatness near the wall, accessories stacked like offerings waiting to be chosen.
Caroline owned the room anyway.
She paced slowly, confidently, holding outfits up to her body as if the bedroom were a runway and Maya the most distracted audience imaginable. She twirled a jacket between her fingers, appraising it with a sharp eye.
"Do you really think this goes with the shoes?" Caroline asked, spinning once for emphasis.
"I don't know," Maya said calmly, eyes never leaving the ceiling. "Do you?"
Caroline scoffed. "Come on. You're supposed to be helping me. Are you even paying attention?"
"I am," Maya replied. "You just think I'm not."
Caroline smiled, knowing exactly where to press. "Maya, Maya, Maya. Always thinking you're seeing more than you are."
Maya sighed, flipping her hair lazily against the pillow. She didn't sit up. Didn't shift. Her gaze stayed distant, unfocused.
"You okay?" Caroline asked, quieter now.
"I'm just thinking," Maya said slowly. Then, abruptly, "Clothes are temporary. You're always worrying about your appearance. There are bigger things to care about."
Caroline's smile sharpened. "And you're always worrying about… what? Your girlfriend? Making sure she behaves?"
Maya's expression didn't change. "I just want her to be happy," she said. "To be whole."
Caroline stepped closer, smirking, and adjusted a throw pillow behind Maya's head with unnecessary tenderness.
"Yeah," she said. "That's what you tell yourself. But you're really just trying to change her."
Maya blinked.
"No," she said quickly. Then softer, uncertain, "Maybe. I don't know. I just want what's best for her. Isn't that what love is?"
"Best for her," Caroline teased, sitting down beside her, "or best for you?"
Maya's gaze dropped from the ceiling to the floor. Her fingers found the chain at her neck, gripping it hard enough to sting, grounding herself in the pain.
Caroline caught her wrist gently and pulled it away.
"Anyway," Caroline said, light again, "let's get you dressed before you drag this poor girl somewhere she doesn't want to be."
"Right," Maya said. "She'll probably complain anyway."
"And yet she'll go," Caroline replied, rolling her eyes. "Because you push her. Gotta love having a pet, right?"
Maya sat up sharply. "Don't call her that. She's a person."
"She's like your dog," Caroline snapped. "She follows you wherever the fuck you go. It's exhausting."
"She's my girlfriend," Maya shot back. "What the fuck is she supposed to do?"
"Make friends!" Caroline said. "It's a social event. Why don't both of you try not being the weird couple in the back for once?"
"We are not the weird couple in the back!"
"You are the weird couple, dude!" Caroline fired back. "You sit on the couch, she plays on her phone, and you just stare at her like you're watching paint dry."
"That is not what we do at parties—"
"That is exactly what you're gonna do tonight!" Caroline laughed. "I bet you fifty bucks you two are parked on the couch within the first hour while she occupies your entire frontal lobe, you sapphic-ass lesbian."
Maya stood, anger flashing across her calm like a crack in glass.
"Fine," she said. "I'll take that bet."
They locked eyes.
Caroline grinned. "Alright."
They shook hands.
⸻
The moment their palms met, the world cut sideways.
⸻
Lorna stood in the changing room at work, locker door open, fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. She pulled off her apron, shoulders sagging with the familiar end-of-shift relief.
A voice chimed behind her.
"You ready, bitch?"
Lorna paused.
Then sighed.
Lorna didn't answer right away. She stood in front of her locker, staring at the dull metal as if it might confess something if she waited long enough. Fluorescent lights hummed overhead. The room smelled like detergent, sweat, and the faint metallic tang of the lockers themselves.
She finally turned.
"Your breath smells like shit," she said flatly. "And no, I don't wanna go to this party."
Gary clutched his chest in mock agony, already halfway to laughter.
"Girl, you never wanna go anywhere, do anything, say whatever. You can be so boring."
"Maybe I enjoy being a calm gay," Lorna replied, deadpan, "and not a wildly outlandish one like you."
Gary's grin froze.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
Lorna shut her locker with a sharp clang.
"You literally wore fetish gear to work and told Todd it was a Halloween costume."
Gary blinked once. Then shrugged.
"Okay, and? Pride, bitch. You got it?"
"Honey," Lorna said, shouldering her bag, "I don't think I need a lesson on pride. Let's just get dressed and get the fuck out of here. Maya wants to walk with us to the party. Her sister's apparently coming too."
Gary's eyebrows shot up with theatrical delight.
"The sister you made out with?"
Lorna stopped.
Just… stopped.
Her body went rigid, like someone had pulled a wire tight inside her spine.
"…Dude," she said after a beat, "I did not mean to do that. I genuinely thought that was Maya. You can't blame me for kissing someone who looks and talks exactly like my girlfriend."
Gary laughed, sharp and mean and a little too loud.
"Yes you can. That just means you don't know who your girlfriend is."
"That's not funny," Lorna snapped. "At all. We've been having a lot of problems since that happened."
"Yeah," Gary said, dragging the word out, dripping with sarcasm. "Since then."
Lorna's eyes lifted. When she looked at him, the room felt smaller.
"Okay, dickface," she muttered. "Let's just pack up and get out of here already."
Gary lifted his arms behind his head, stretching like a cat with no shame.
"I'm ready. I'll be outside."
The door swung shut behind him, leaving Lorna alone with the lockers and the hum and her own thoughts.
She sat down slowly on the bench.
And then the memory came for her.
The vase shattered against the wall behind her head.
"You piece of shit!" Maya screamed. "How the fuck could you do that?"
"Why are you two wearing the same fucking outfit?" Lorna screamed back, panic bleeding through every syllable.
"She's my twin fucking sister!" Maya shouted. "We like to match, you fuckwit!"
"And you couldn't have told me that?!"
"You can't tell who your fucking girlfriend is?!" Maya's voice cracked, sharp with disbelief. "We're two different people. What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Maya, I'm so sorry," Lorna sobbed. "I genuinely didn't mean for this to happen."
"Wishing and acting are two different things," Maya said coldly. "I'm not gonna sit here and play this game with you."
The bedroom door slammed.
Lorna collapsed where she stood, knees hitting the floor, the sound swallowed by the walls. Her chest burned. Her throat closed. She cried like something vital had been torn loose, like whatever held her together had finally given up.
The memory snapped.
Back in the changing room, Lorna exhaled shakily. She closed her locker, the sound dull and final, and picked up her backpack.
Her face was blank again. Forlorn. Controlled.
She headed for the door.
The party breathed like a living thing.
Light strobed across glittered skin and lacquered smiles. Bass rattled the floorboards. Laughter burst and dissolved. Drinks clinked, spilled, were replaced. Everywhere Lorna looked, bodies shimmered with intention.
For a moment, it was easy to forget the edges.
Near the back, two men in immaculate suits stood half-swallowed by shadow. Their voices never rose above the music, never broke the rhythm.
"Keep the new ones close," one murmured, eyes tracking the room with practiced ease. "Tonight's going to be profitable."
The other nodded, fingers brushing the radio at his collar.
"Everything's going according to plan."
Behind them, barely visible unless you knew where to look, metal bars caught the light. Empty cages tucked into corners like a bad idea waiting patiently.
The music surged.
Elsewhere in the city, Lorna and Gary walked toward the train station, the night air cooler than expected. Neon smeared itself across the pavement. Lorna kept glancing over her shoulder, not frightened exactly, just… alert.
She called Maya as they walked.
"Hey, hun. We'll be down the street from the party soon. Meet us at Joe's on Second so Gary and I can say hi first."
"No problem," Maya said, warm and immediate. "See you then."
On the train, Gary filled the space with noise. Plans, jokes, gossip, laughter spilling out of him like confetti. Lorna listened with half an ear, her eyes roaming.
A homeless man sat slumped on a bench, chin dipping toward his chest. When he looked up, their eyes met.
Something tightened.
Just for a second.
Then Gary said something ridiculous, Lorna turned back to him, and when she glanced again, the bench was empty.
She frowned. The train roared forward.
At Joe's, Caroline announced herself before anyone could stop her.
"And you can call me lover girl!" she sang, already leaning in.
Lorna shifted just enough to dodge the kiss.
"Hi, Caroline."
"Hiiiiii, Lorna," Caroline cooed, eyes sparkling.
Maya smacked her sister on the back of the head.
"Stop trying to fuck my girlfriend."
"But she's just so cute," Caroline protested, immediately reaching up to touch Lorna's face. "Look at her."
"Please stop," Lorna said, mortified.
"You stop being so goddamn beautiful."
Lorna blushed, turning away as Maya barked Caroline's name like a warning shot.
"You Subaru lesbians are weird," Gary said casually.
"The word is sapphic, John Waters," Caroline shot back.
"No," Gary replied. "I mean Subaru."
Lorna laughed before she could stop herself.
The sound caught both sisters off guard. They looked at her like she'd done something rare and fragile.
"What?" Lorna asked, suddenly self-conscious. "What did I do?"
"Nothing, hun," Maya said softly.
Their eyes met, and for a beat, the world narrowed to just the two of them.
"Alright!" Caroline clapped her hands. "Let's go!"
"But pizza—" Gary began.
"Fuck your pizza," Caroline said. "We gotta go."
"I'm honestly hungry too," Lorna offered.
"Then we're stopping here," Caroline said immediately.
Gary nodded approvingly, nudging Lorna.
"Good job."
"With what?" Lorna asked.
"Never mind."
By the time they reached the venue again, the party was in full bloom.
Gary vanished into the back with a man named John, flirting effortlessly, already halfway to a story they'd both pretend was fate.
Caroline went feral on the dance floor, alone but thriving.
And Maya and Lorna, exactly as predicted, ended up near the back.
Maya watched her girlfriend like she always did. Too closely. Fingers slipping into Lorna's hair, grounding, claiming.
"Do you think we hang out by ourselves too much?" she asked.
Lorna didn't answer.
"Lorna."
Nothing.
"LORNA!"
"Huh?" Lorna snapped up. "What's up?"
"Are you even listening to me?"
Lorna's face fell, wounded and honest.
"Well… no. I was focused on my horse game."
Across the room, Caroline caught Maya's eye and mouthed, I told you so.
Lorna turned her phone toward Maya, laughing, showing her something stupid and small. Maya rolled her eyes, then stood suddenly and pulled Lorna to her feet.
"Dance with me."
Before Lorna could protest, Maya had her moving, hips pressed close, hands guiding her like she was something precious and pliable. Lorna followed, flushed, awkward, smiling like she didn't know what to do with her body yet.
Eyes noticed.
Men in suits exchanged glances. Comments slipped between them, slick and shallow, the kind that sounded harmless until you listened too closely.
The party swallowed everything.
And Lorna, bright and out of place, danced like she'd wandered into the wrong dream and hadn't realized it yet.
The night air was crisp, carrying the faint hum of the city. Lorna walked beside Maya and Caroline, a cigarette dangling lazily between her fingers. With a practiced flick, she passed it to Caroline. Maya scrunched her nose in disgust.
"Why do you smoke those things?" Maya asked.
"They just smell nice to me," Lorna said, shrugging.
"CAUSE THEY'RE ADDICTIVE, THAT'S WHY!" Caroline said, grinning like it was the obvious truth of the universe.
Maya shivered. "I'm just not into it… this seems sickening."
Their hands brushed when the cigarette changed carriers, and Maya noticed the faint thrill in that touch. She frowned, watching the two of them.
"I'll try it," she said, surprising both Lorna and Caroline.
"You what?" Lorna asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I wanna see what you guys are going on about…"
After a brief exchange of skeptical glances, Lorna and Caroline nodded. Maya took the cigarette, inhaled cautiously, held it for a moment… then erupted in a coughing fit that left her doubled over.
"Oh my god—are you okay?" Lorna asked between laughs, patting her back.
"This is… awful!" Maya gasped, laughing despite herself.
Caroline snorted. "Yes… yes it is."
Lorna handed her the cup of ice she'd been carrying. Maya took it gratefully, still coughing.
From the club's entrance, Gary emerged, waving his hands like a storm.
"OK!" he yelled. "This cute, cop-looking guy is gonna take me home. He's hot… I'm gonna fuck him… Alright, we good? SEE YOU GIRLIES LATER!!"
He disappeared down the street. Lorna called after him, "WAIT! Gary! You'r—"
But he was already gone.
"Driving…" Lorna muttered, shrugging. Maya's gaze lingered on him, concerned. Caroline didn't care.
"He'll be fine… I think," Lorna said, almost to herself.
The three of them continued down the sidewalk. Shadows clung to the edges of the street, silent and watchful.
When they reached a fork in the path, Caroline squinted at the options. "We can go around the building, or cut through that alley. Saves ten minutes."
The alley was dark, a single weak light above a trashcan illuminating the narrow space. A cat screeched and bolted from the shadows.
"That's some Caucasian-ass shit. Let's just go around," Lorna said.
"I'm white… and I agree. Not the time to give in," Maya added.
"Exactly what the white girl said," Lorna smirked.
"Fiiiine… we'll go around," Caroline groaned, conceding.
As they continued, Lorna felt it again—skin prickling, hairs standing on end. Maya noticed.
"You okay?" she asked.
"Huh? What's up?" Lorna replied, teeth gritted.
"You okay?"
"Yeah… I'm fine. Let's just keep going," Lorna muttered.
A soft scuffling sounded behind them. Caroline froze. "What was that?"
"Keep walking, don't stop," Lorna urged, shoving Maya and Caroline forward.
"Lorna, what's going on?" Maya asked, panic creeping into her voice.
"Nothing good. Hurry up, let's go!"
Three men in black stepped from the shadows, blocking the path. Caroline's eyes went wide.
"What's… going on?" she stammered.
Lorna shoved Maya behind her. "CAROLINE!"
"COMING!" Caroline yelled, rushing forward.
"Sorry, ladies… you're coming with us," one of the men said casually.
"Yo… I think the tall one's a tranny!" another added.
"Mo' money!" the third chimed in.
Maya and Caroline instinctively clutched each other, eyes wide with terror. Lorna didn't move. She didn't blink. The tension thrummed in the air.
"We don't want trouble… what do you want?" Maya asked, voice shaking.
The second man pointed at Lorna. "You… now move."
Focus fell on the faces of Maya and Caroline, etched with fear. Then, from the corner of the moment, a low voice cut through.
"No…" Lorna said, simple, deadly.
The girls looked up.
Lorna's lips curled into a wide, feral grin. Slowly, deliberately, she took a step forward.
The night held its breath.