Love Struck

CHAPTER 2

It is a blistering day in the city of Rich Beginnings. Brandi Kobi is sifting through the clothes in her closet. She and a bunch of kids from school are going to the pool to relax. Her blinds are tightly shut. She is in her yellow bra and yellow shorts. The sunlight would inflame her scars.

She grabs a yellow lace bikini with ruffles on the top half. She undresses as she hears a noise coming down from the hallway but dismisses it. She is the only one in the house. Her mother lives in the White House as the head chef. She gets her bikini on. She grabs a yellow robe off the foot of her bed along with a straw hat.

She adores the color yellow; It is her favorite color. She slips on her yellow tennis shoes. Brandi puts on her sunglasses. In her backpack is a beach towel. She is ready to have some fun.

Brandi looks out into the hallway, but the coast is clear. She was right to dismiss it. Must be her imagination. It is lonely living by herself.

In her driveway is a black SUV. Spencer Starrun is in the driver's seat while his younger brother is in the back seat. Brandi gets into the passenger seat.

"Who is everyone that is coming?" Brandi asks, setting her backpack on the floor.

"Dakota Marvel, her friend Hannah Banks. Harriet Hearts, Eve Rainplex, and the new girl Mary Bromfield. Belle Black, Mal de Vil, and Evie Facilier. Derrick Clinton and Jason Wolf." Spencer replies, pulling out of the driveway. "And that is all the ones I can think of."

"Thirteen?" Brandi cringes. "That is unlucky."

Spencer cannot help but laugh at her superstitious behavior. "I think we should be fine."

"With all the aliens on the rise, can you blame me?" Brandi jokes, looking down at her backpack, hoping she did not forget anything.

"You got the superheroes though. I hear they go by the Crystal Keepers."

The Crystal Keepers? Are they has bad as the others? Only time will tell. Spencer nudges her. She looks at him. "Yeah?"

"I was asking if you wanted coffee."

"Sure." Brandi replies. "How come Nessa is not coming?"

"She did not want to hang out with a bunch of strangers."

"She should really get out more."

"Well, what can you do?"

"Kidnap her and force her to come." Brandi laughs.

"You can do that." He says pulling into the Double Cup Coffee parking lot.

Brandi gets out, followed by Spencer. Cameron Starrun chooses to wait in the car. He is not one for drinking coffee. Brandi does not find the appeal in caffeinated drinks, but she has not drunk anything all day, and she got up three hours ago.

Manning the register is Belle Black, who wears a green apron with the logo in the middle and her name tag with her last name in the upper right corner.

An African-American girl is the only one in front of them. "Angela Felicia." She says to the barista who writes her name on the cup.

"I only really need one name." Belle Black smiles, giving the cup to her brother, who grunts. "Chill out. We only have five minutes left on the clock, then I am heading to the pool." She tells her brother.

"Slacker." He mumbles.

"How am I a slacker? We have no school today. They are still trying to figure out how we are going to do things, so no school this week." Belle says, flipping her waist-length jet-black hair into her brother's face to annoy him.