Bikes & Blood

𝐈𝐗.

Puddles of water dotted the boardwalk, alcoves and drain pipes drying beneath the beaming rays of the sun-a stark but welcomed change from the previous day's dreary weather. Curiosity and intrigue had driven Amara down to the boardwalk during the normal waking hours of the day and for a moment, she worried that her black vans, khaki-green plaid pants and black t-shirt would be out of place amongst the patrons of Santa Carla.

That worry fled her chest the moment Amara stepped upon the wooden planks of the boardwalk. Her curls tied into a high half-up, half-down ponytail with a few pieces of hair left down to frame her face; the hairstyle intended to keep most of Amara's waist-length hair in check. Smoke hung around the boardwalk, clogging her nose with a stench so unsettling that it gnawed at her senses with malice.

Unease drifted across Amara's skin, her mind churning as it tried to place the foreign smell that filled the air. Her nose screwed up with displeasure the further Amara walked into the bustling boardwalk, tourists and locals alike enjoying the warm summer's day-the summer storm of yesterday nowhere to be seen. Children's screams and people's laughter wove together with the cheerful and yet haughty sounds of the boardwalk, light and dark crossing paths without so much as a thought.

Amara paused in her observations of the sunlit boardwalk, head lifting to peer up at the neon sign of the comic book store as she weighed up her options. Laddie came to mind as Amara nibbled on the flesh of her bottom lip. The brown-haired boy's smile filling her mind as Amara's feet led her into the store. The U-shaped layout to the store hadn't changed, its tiered tables lined with comics in neat rows, comics pegged to the wire above the sage-green tables.

Amara's eyes darted from comic book to comic book, racking her mind for the comic book Laddie had been looking for back in Phoenix. Half of Amara was sure it was a Marvel comic, while the other didn't have the faintest clue to what she was looking for. The latter reigning supreme as Amara browsed the extensive collection of comics, fingertips ghosting across the glossy covers.

Eyes seared into the back of her head as Amara's fingers ghosted over the cover of a Spiderman comic, the edition of which was lost on her mind. Amara turned her head slowly towards the front of the store. The mousy-brown haired twin's eyes locked upon her as Amara turned to face the duo. An eyebrow arching in an unspoken question, imploring the two to quit their lurking and speak whatever was on their minds.

The taller twin wore a set of camouflage pants, combat boots, and a black t-shirt. His arms folded across his chest as his hazel-brown eyes scrutinised Amara from his place beside the front counter. The shorter twin by a few inches leant against the counter lazily, his dark-washed jeans, jasper-grey shirt and boots oddly fit within the comic store's aesthetic. And much like his brother, his dirt-brown eyes analysed Amara like one would analyse a science project.

The hazel-eyed twin spared his brother a glance as he made his way over to where Amara stood beside the collection of Spiderman comics. His brows furrowed as he stopped in front of Amara, eyes searching her face as though he knew who Amara was, but wasn't entirely sure himself. Amara's lips twitched as she fought the urge to smile.

The boy in front of her had grown since the last time she'd seen him all those years ago and yet, Amara knew exactly which twin stood in front of her as she spoke. "Alexander."

A crease marred Alexander's face as he racked his brain for the recognition within the depths of his eyes. A breath of annoyance spilled from his lips, a pleading look thrown over his shoulder to his brother before he turned back to face Amara. The grin across her face impossible to hide as Amara enjoyed how he fidgeted uneasily beneath her gaze.

"You're Amara. Sam Emerson's niece, right?" The shorter, dirt-brown eyed twin, Tobias, questioned as he strode to his brother's side.

"And you're Edgar Frog's sons, right?"