ARCANE

001

Thea had not yet realized that, before dawn, her life would tumble down a steep hill. The day had been normal, after all. She woke up early, which was her routine. Though she loved to snooze until midday had reared its head high into the clouds, Thea knew that in order to have a good day, she needed to use her Tibetan singing bowl to meditate.

She had arrived at the studio late and quickly set up for her morning class. During the day, she had encountered the few stay-at-home Moms who came into her studio. With deep sighs and steady hands, she led the group through her routine. Raising her hands in the air, she felt as though she was grasping the sunlight between her slender fingertips. A flush reached her cheeks, and she bowed her head at the end of her lesson, her cheery self diminished by her gratitude for the world she had come to know.

Now, having finished her workout, she drinks from her bottle. She maned the desk at the front of the studio while the other instructor ran a cycling session. It was a nice break, although Thea loved her job. Occasionally, she would have a potential client come in and ask about their diet plans or the times for working out. Like many other days, there were no strangers milling about town today. Perhaps it was because there were storm clouds rolling in.

The phone on the desk beeps in front of her. Quickly, Thea latches on to the phone and picks up.

In her polished customer-service voice, Thea speaks. "Hi there, welcome to Hamilton Wellness, my name's Thea-"

"It's Keisha," her sister cuts off the spiel she is used to hearing. Thea rolls her eyes at the mere mention of Keisha. She is always calling, and she is always annoying. "Are you going to be home for dinner?"

Thea straightens her back, leaning into the call. She looks over her shoulder, to make sure the next workout group aren't finishing up yet. "Are you seriously calling me about this?" Thea hushes her voice into barely a whisper. "You know I could get in trouble for talking on the phone? Is this about Freddie?"

She hears a pause on the line. In response, Thea folds her arms over themselves, pulling back from the desk. For a second, she thought her sister might be bothering her with something important during work hours but of course, she wasn't. If Keisha had called with news, Thea would've been sure her sister was abducted by aliens in the night.

"Can you just be out for a few hours?" Keisha whines into the line. "I mean, seriously. Go to a bar for once. Bring bike-boy, he's cute."

Thea rolls her eyes. She hears chatter down the hallway behind her, and she quickly whispers goodbye before slamming the phone down. A few sweaty people make their way into the changeroom, not bothering to come out to the front room first. Eventually, Brandon (the so-called bike boy) rounds the corner.

"You look tired," Thea leans over the desk. Her cheeks tighten as she leans in, her smile spreading from cheek to cheek.

"Never," Brandon takes a swipe from her bottle, sipping from it.

Thea mocks annoyance, grabbing the bottle back as soon as she can. Though she's never been good at reading people, Thea thinks Brandon has feelings for her. At least, he talks to her every chance he gets. Maybe the Bike Boy is just super high energy; after all, he is employed to work out all day for hours on end.

"After work want to grab drinks at the bar?" She asks, before pulling back. She furrows her brow, batting her eyes quickly as her brain stalls for a way to make this seem like she isn't asking him out. "Like, I hear they have a new musician, and she is like, decent. That's what Keisha is telling me."

Brandon raises an eyebrow, smiling. "So, what time is Keisha's boyfriend leaving? I can't be out late. Beauty sleep and all that."

Thea's chest releases the pressure which was building in her lungs. "Thanks."