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Since she didn’t trust her dulled senses, she kept her eyes peeled, searching for signs that she wasn’t alone She peered into the shadows around each Du sure no one was hidden there waiting to pounce on a girl as all by herself in a creepy alley She knew her i overtih of relief when she reached the sidewalk andthe heavy foot traffic in the U District as she scanned the storefronts for The Mecca
The café was really just a small soup-and-sandwich shop that, like so many others in the city, also served espresso and pastries Outside, there was a cheerful red awning with The Mecca painted in swirling gold letters It was inviting, Violet thought as she ducked through the entrance and the bells over the door jangled
Inside, tables painted a glossy black were packed together, leaving little rooate between thee of fra, and Violet guessed they were probably on consigned froeneric cityscapes of the skyline and the Space Needle to the s of fairies or pixies or other scantily clad, winged woe handwritten chalkboard above the counter that served as the menu, and a selection of coffee syrups littered the countertops around the industrial-sized stainless steel espresso machine
Violet scanned the small late-afternoon crowd, not sure exactly what she’d expected to find, but hoping she’d be able to help
She wondered if this was a place Antonia Cornett out for her like the Java Hut was for Violet and her friends Or if it was just a fluke that Violet happened across this particular receipt and it irl had been using as a bookless
Violet stood in front of the counter, exae corkboard covered in Polaroid snapshots There were photographs of the café’s employees, each with a drink recommendation listed below it It was also handwritten with bold, colorful markers There were lots of hand-drawn hearts and stars and flowers, and a drawing of a big coffee lanced at the red-haired girl behind the counter, and despite her puffy red eyes, she recognized her Polaroid froar cara at the girl’s drink recoirl just nodded as she turned to the espresso machine While she worked, Violet scanned the rest of the photos, thinking that maybe Antonia Cornett would be on there, that maybe she’d worked here before she vanished
But by the ti the iven up Antonia wasn’t there
She suddenly felt foolish for conificant receipts did she herself have lying around? More than she cared to admit
She paid for her drink, took a sip of the sickly sweet concoction, and then dropped it in the trash can on her way out the door
As she stood on the sidewalk once led hat she should do next
This area, the University District, was always bustling with activity, so Violet appreciated about the city She could lose herself in a place like this, vanish in the rush of people and never even be noticed
She stepped out of the way of foot traffic, students rushing past her with backpacks dangling fro across their chests Even on a Friday afternoon, everyone had someplace to be Everyone but Violet She’d co useful, but had coht red newspaper stand on the corner, and Violet dug in her purse for some quarters She had no real plan, but maybe if she could find a place to sit and read for a while so her coins into the slot, she pulled down the glass door and then paused
Soh her first reaction was to dise side effect of the pills, she couldn’t just ignore the way the hairs on the back of her neck prickled Even the ones inside her nose felt suddenly itchy, tingly
She glanced around, her hand still poised over the newspaper inside theexactly, but suddenly her chest felt tight, crushed It was as if so, striding with purpose
"Violet?"
She juo of the newspaper box’s door She turned toward the boy’s voice and practically sighed with relief when she saw Sa at her curiously Skinny, scrawny Sae studentsin more ways than one They were like peas in a pod
"What--?" She grabbed her newspaper and let the door swing shut again, banging rustily And then she turned to look behind her one last ti out of place "What are you doing here?" She glanced at hiawky fraripped in front of his chest
He sed in the U District "I could ask you the sa You don’t live around here, do you?"