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CHAPTER SIX. A GALA AND A SECRET EXPOSED
AMELIA had left her apartment early today to study for Decathalon in the library before school started but as it turned out, all she could think about was last night. She kept replaying that explosion over and over in her head. In the morning, before coming to school today, she had stood in front of the ruins that was now Delmar's deli. It was all cordoned off and officials from Damage Control crowded the area.
Amelia and her friends had frequented the place enough times for the owner to remember her name. As soon as she had reached home she had called her parents and told them what had happened, told them what she wanted to do. Of course, the Sóngs couldn't be prouder of their daughter. So an anonymous donation was made to Mr. Delmar to help rebuild the bodega whenever he was ready.
It was painful, losing an important part of your existence. A substantial piece that gave your life meaning. Amelia would know. Somedays she wondered if she even was her own person. She was half molding herself after her dead sister, half trying to become everything else everyone else expected her to be. Where was Amelia Sóng?
Where was Amelia Sóng? That thought kept repeating in Monika Godfrey's mind who had just now arrived at school and was scouring the hallways for her black-haired friend. When she didn't find her, she dug out a Post-It note from her backpack, scribbled a message, and stuck it on the locker numbered 1187 just as the bell rang.
She shouldered her bag and went to her first class of the day: Physics. She was late.
Amelia was late. When she reached her locker, the halls were almost deserted. There was a Post-It note stuck on the door of her locker. In Monika's unmistakable wiry writing, it said: FIND ME. IMPORTANT. ─ M.G. Amelia made a mental note to find Monika after her Government class. She rushed to make it in time and ducked inside, trying not to be noticed.
But she was Amelia Sóng. Of course, she was noticed.
"Miss Sóng, you're late."
She made an apologetic face and turned to face the teacher. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry. I was in the library and lost track of time."
Amelia Sóng had never been given detention. Amelia Sóng was never going to get detention. The teacher let her go to her seat beside Gemma after the apology. As she settled in, she asked Gemma what they were studying and Gemma replied, "The policies of the Sokovia Accords."
Amelia huffed. She put Monika's note on Gemma's notebook who stared at it with pointed eyebrows. "You know what that's about?"
"Does anyone even know what's important to Monika?"
"I mean, it's Monika," Amelia shrugged. "If she's saying it's important then it has gotta be huge, right? Like, monumental." And she gestured with her hands to show monumental. Their curiosity was surely peaked and the two of them were restless trying to think of the topics that would be important to Monika the whole day.
