Wonderland --- Riverdale

Chapter 1:: Miss Alice

Segarini's Pizza shop sat in the middle of a lonely strip. The buildings on either side of it were abandoned. Supposedly one had been bought out by a boutique, and the other remained empty. Every time I look through those dark windows, it chills me. 

The pizza shop is an entirely brick building. Dim lights are strung across the ceiling and a large pizza oven sits in the corner. Five to ten tables are strewn around the room, holding no more than three. Not all of the tables are full, leaving shadows to fill the empty chairs. 

It's run by Marco Segarini, an elderly man, who screamed in Italian every time the waiter messed up an order. His face had darkened as he'd gotten older, and the complaints that came out of his mouth seemed to increase. A large crease had formed across his forehead, making him seem like he had a permanent scowl. He was short, and had only gotten shorter with age. When I was younger my parents would take to the place as a way to get me to shut up. Back then Segarini towered above me. Now I stood above him. it made him seem less powerful, less like the man I had admired when I was a toddler. 

We were there the day everything started. Ginger had just gotten back from her week long trip to New York, and thought it'd be a good idea for us to catch up. We sat in the corner booth, four people sitting in a table made for eight. I arrived first, and came up with the great idea to claim the largest table. I ordered a caramel gelato and waited for my friends to arrive. 

The next who entered was Ginger. Her long brunette hair was tied up in a ponytail, and the sun bounced off her blonde highlights. She wore a thigh length blue sleeveless shirt, and denim shorts. Her brand new Ray-Ban sunglasses sat on the top of her head, and her lips were coated in a dark red. 

She smiled at me when she saw me and sat in the seat across from me. Ginger tilts her head to the side when I don't say anything, creating an awkward silence between us. 

"Well?" She asks, putting her sunglasses in a powder pink Micheal Kors purse. 

I raise an eyebrow towards her, "Well, what?" I ask, unsure of what she wanted me to say. Ginger rolls her eyes and shakes her head at me, "Aren't you gonna ask me how my trip was?" 

I shove a spoonful of gelato into my mouth and narrow my eyes, "Don't you want to wait for the guys?" I ask, my mouth full of caramel tasting ice cream. 

Before Ginger says anything, I look behind her to see Adam walking towards our table. Ginger gives me a strange look before turning around and seeing Adam herself. Her eyes widen, "Does my hair look ok?" She mutters. I don't say anything and wave to Adam as he approaches us. 

"Welcome back, Ginger Snap." He says, smiling. Ginger hesitates and then stands up, embracing him. She, unsurprisingly, comes back with a noticeable blush. "Gin," I say quietly. She turns to me, and I touch my cheek. Ginger's eyes widen, and she calms herself, removing the blush. 

"How was New York?" Adam asks. 

Ginger shrugs, and sits back down, "It's amazing as always, of course. My dad says he plans to expand Sparkle magazine to Riverdale, which means I may not have to travel back and forth as much."

My eyes widen, "Wait really? And your mom's ok with that?" Ginger's parent's divorce was a touchy subject. Last fall her mother, Rebecca Lopez, got married to a man named Jim Copez (co-pay). This left Ginger with a stepfather, and two new bitchy twin sisters. Teresa and Eliza were even more of drama queens than Ginger was. From the moment they were born their father had given them anything and everything they wanted. Ginger had a large disdain for the three of them, and for the fact that her mother had married him. 

Ginger sighs, "Well... dad hasn't exactly told mom about his plans yet." 

"Ooh, I sense drama, mind if I join you?" the three of us look up to see Fletcher Foley standing over us. I scoot over, and let him fill the empty spot at the booth. Fletcher sets his leather satchel on the floor under the table and crosses his arms. "New outfit, Ginger?" He asks, noticing her blue top. 

She smiles, and tilts her head to the side, "Well someone noticed. Thank you, Fletcher." Fletcher shrugs, creating a short silence between the four of us. 

The silence is interrupted when a hand taps on the maple wood table. The four of us look up to see a familiar face standing in front of the table. A tall, dark skinned man holds a large menu in his hand. A blue apron is tied around his neck, splattered in flour. His curly black hair, and mustache complemented his dark eyes. 

"Sorry to bother you, but are you four ready to order?" He says. His voice has a hint of an Indian accent, mixed with the years he'd spent in Paris as a child. 

Ginger flips her ponytail, and tilts her head to side, "Yes, thank you, Gaston. I'd say we're all ready to order." I look at her, raising an eyebrow. I most certainly was not ready to order, but whatever Ginger says goes. I take a deep breath and put the menu on the table. Gaston looks towards Adam, who smiles, "I think I'll have-" 

Ginger cuts him off, with an over exaggerated smile, "Don't be silly, we'll just get a large pepperoni pizza, on me." She pulls a silver credit card from her pink purse, and hands it to Gaston. 

I roll my eyes at her, accepting her wealth, and accepting the fact that I would not get to satisfy my craving for lasagna. 

Adam's phone begins to ring impatiently, dampened by the sound of his pocket. He quickly takes it out, and swipes to answer the phone. "Hello?" He says. Its evident that he did not recognize the number, and his face hardens with confusion. 

After a moment, Adams face changes. his mouth opens slightly and his brows furrow. His eyes look towards the ground, showing only one emotion. Fear. 

He stammers over the phone, trying to get a grasp on what he had just heard, "I-I understand." He says. The call ends and Adam slowly puts the phone down on the table. His eyes become glossy, and tears threaten to enter them. 

The four of us look at him, waiting for him to answer the desperate concern we all felt. He stands and grabs his jacket from off of the back of the seat. "I gotta go." He says softly, sliding the jacket over his arms. Before he turns to leave, Ginger grabs his wrist. Adam looks back at her, emotionless. 

"What happened?" She says quietly, making sure her voice won't set him off. Adam calms a bit, his face softening. He takes a deep breath, and looks out the window to the overcast sky. 

"M-my dad was just killed."