Risk is the Spice of Life

Chapter 1

The sweet melody of Lindsey Stirling's "Song of the Caged Bird" coaxed me out of a restful slumber. I rubbed sleep from my eyes as I stretched to grab my phone from the night stand to turn off the alarm. Weak morning sunlight filtered through my half-opened blinds as I checked my notifications. How could I have so many missed text messages before 9AM?!? Oh, it was my family's group chat; the large number now made sense due to my large family. I skimmed the content. Mom, ever the organizer, was requesting confirmation for tonight's dinner. I could tell it was important by the way she had written it, but why was today important? I checked the date dropped my phone. My sister's birthday. Today was my sister's birthday and I had forgotten. I smacked my forehead as another realization hit: I hadn't gotten her a gift. Crap.

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The mall was unusually crowded for an early Wednesday afternoon, which made finding a spot to park horrendous. The anxiety I had of not already having a gift was doubled by the need to find one last minute. The worry that I wouldn't find something good enough in her favorite store added to that existing anxiety and not being able to find a legal place to park was the broken light bulb on my trash heap of wrecked nerves.  My favorite band, Break The Silence (BTS for short), blasting through my car's speakers did little to quell the turmoil. Why did everyone and their mother's cousin's spouse and children twice removed have to be at the mall today?! Finally luck struck as I noticed back-up lights in the center of the aisle I was inching down. There was no one in front of me and no one behind, so I zipped into the now empty spot as quickly and safely as possible. I took a few calming breaths as I waited for BTS's debut song "Break the Silence" to end. When it did, I turned off my car and prepared myself to battle the overwhelming crowds.

Of course, the rotten cherry on top of the too sweet icing of the extra crumbly cake that was my day so far: all the people brought by the cars in the parking lot were gathered in one spot and blocking my entrance to Doodles, the premium art store where my sister preferred to get her materials. I tried to read the signage posted about what had gathered this crowd, but the people were too dense and my height of 5'2" wasn't getting me any good views. I sighed, adjusted my small cross body bag, and began my journey through blob, saying "Pardon me" every so often.

I weaved and twirled in, out, and around the people; I imagined I was Jinora demonstrating how to maneuver through the Airbender gates in The Legend of Korra and I hoped I was as graceful. After what felt like too long, I was able to do a mock pirouette and royal bow at the entrance of Doodles. I heaved a huge sigh of relief and walked in.

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Despite the unpleasant start to my morning, my afternoon was bright, literally and figuratively. First, Doodles had the items I had wanted to get for my sister. Second, those items were part of a BOGO Free sale plus the discount my sister's membership provided. Third, my life was forever changed.

As I exited Doodles, I nearly collided with someone. I sidestepped and did a half to avoid the collision. Upon further inspection, I noticed it was a well-dressed middle-aged man, barely taller than I was. "I'm so sorry!" I exclaimed.

"Nonononono, it's fine!" He replied in an accent that told me that English was not his first language, though he was very good at it. "I was actually waiting for you; I thought I had missed you."

I tensed and gripped my purchase as well as my purse tight. "Why?" I replied cautiously, though the word was short and clipped, defensive.

"Ahhhh, I see I have caused you some distress. I mean no harm. I represent a well-known, well-loved musical group. We are looking for new and fresh talent to accompany and aid them in their next project."

I snorted. I couldn't help it; it was one of the most absurd things I had heard. What possible talent could he be seeking me out for? "What exactly is it about me that you found so new and fresh that you had to seek me out?" I asked, trying to be kind in the deliverance of my words. For all I knew he was someone's elderly uncle with some type of brain damage.

"It was the way you moved through the crowd." The elderly gentleman was not the one who spoke; the young male voice came from behind me. I turned and angled myself so that I could keep both men in my sights. I gasped, a loud and unflattering sound. The young man was tall, almost 6 ft. He was dressed casually in loose jeans, converse, and a comfortably fit tee. His lightly tousled hair a light, almost metallic blue suited his round face, which bore a wide smile accented by dimples. Oh dear Lord. Standing barely two feet away from me was Rap Monster, Leader of Break The Silence. My heart lurched, my pulse accelerated dangerously, and my sister's gifts went crashing to the ground.