Alter

Take 16!

Vee was one step away from bolting out of the café, when he collided with a woman at the door.

She wore a plain white shirt tucked into boyfriend-cut jeans—simple, but far from ordinary. As they mumbled apologies, Vee found himself frowning unconsciously.

Something about her seemed oddly familiar, though he couldn't quite place it. He started to excuse himself, but before he could escape, the woman called out loudly, "Wait up!"

Vee turned around slowly, only to see her staring at him intently, her perfectly shaped brows furrowed as she scanned his face. Then, to his utter surprise, she cursed.

"Holy Christmas fuck! Yin?"

War and Priya, who were at a nearby table, whipped their heads toward the source of the loud profanity, both recognizing the voice instantly.

"Sarah, babe!" Priya squealed in delight, abandoning her seat and trotting toward the woman in white. She wrapped her arms around Sarah, beaming as she turned to face Vee.

War watched the scene with mild amusement, though he couldn't shake the tension in the air.

Vee, meanwhile, stood there awkwardly, feeling like he'd just been caught in the middle of a soap opera he wasn't cast in. Both Sarah and Priya were gawking at him like they'd seen a ghost. Priya, ever the bubbly one, broke the silence first.

"Sarah, I thought it was Christmas," she said, her voice sugary sweet. "Why does it feel like Halloween, and why are we being haunted by a ghost?"

Sarah pulled Priya closer, as if Vee might suddenly float away and start rattling chains. "Honestly, babe, I'm not sure. But if this ghost tries anything, I'm ready to exorcise him."

Vee, already frustrated with the unfolding spectacle, crossed his arms and shot them both a dark look. "I'm in no mood for whatever lame jokes you two are trying to pull," he muttered, his tone sharp.

Sarah, unfazed by Vee's brooding energy, turned her attention to War, who had been lurking awkwardly on the sidelines.

"War," she said, her voice taking on a sing-song quality, "I believe there's an elephant in the room. And it's you."

She dramatically pointed at Vee as if declaring a crime scene.

War, having been thrown into the deep end, hesitated, eyeing Vee with growing confusion. He started walking toward them, each step filled with an odd mix of dread and curiosity.

Sarah, instead of elaborating, simply stared at her cousin as if they were engaged in some sort of telepathic conversation. Her gaze shifted between War and Vee, her eyes wide and unblinking, like she was in on some inside joke.

War could practically feel Sarah's absurd thoughts crawling into his brain. Is she thinking what I think she's thinking? War grimaced, already knowing where her mind was going.

His cousin had a knack for making the weirdest, most inappropriate connections.

Priya, ever the one to cut through Sarah's unspoken thoughts, decided to fill in the gaps.

"War!" she exclaimed, pointing wildly at Vee, nearly poking him in the nose. "There's this man who looks like Yin. Mark's Yin! Is he a ghost or something? Can you see him too? He's standing right here!"

Vee jerked his head back, his frown deepening as Priya's finger got dangerously close to his face. "What the hell is wrong with you people?" he growled, brushing her hand away.

War didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the absurdity of it all. His cousin was staring at Vee like she'd seen an actual ghost, while Priya was one step away from trying to perform some séance right in the middle of the café.