September 12th, 2018

     Soline has a sudden urge to go running tonight. 

     She finally has just enough time to do so, and isn't completely swamped with homework and studying. She puts on a sweater with long sleeves, leggings, and running shoes and quietly opens the door to escape out into the night. A small pocket knife is easily accessible to her beneath her shirt. 

     She wouldn't usually have been the type to wander  pointlessly into the night, but these days her personality and actions don't seem to have the same consistency as they had before the tragedy struck.

     After the exhilarating pleasure of running down the hill between her house and her destination, Soline is in the small downtown once again. Although it had been a windy evening earlier, the night is now still. She glances frantically around her to make sure nothing is posing a threat, and then continues along her way.

     Usually wandering into a dark alley at night is considered to be quite risky, yet Soline persists to walk into the centre of the alley and then to hike up the stairs to her new favorite spot in town.

     Standing on the top of the structure and facing away from the gallery, to her right, there is a window leading into another building. Soline still, to this day does not know the purpose of it. Its window is often lit up with a yellow glow, as it is right now. The window appears to be covering the opening into a long corridor, which is barren, other than a stack of sandy coloured folding chairs leaning against the wall.

      As she stands there, lost in thought, all of a sudden she is not alone anymore. She screams into the night as a dark figure nears her. The figure makes its way up the staircase, and Soline draws her hand closer to the knife pressed against her chest. The figure reveals itself, pulling its hood down and unwaveringly brandishing a small flash light in one hand. She keeps her hand on her knife, her eyes are wide and her heart racing.

      She sees now that the person is a boy who couldn't be much older than Soline. Although it's hard to tell in the darkness, he appears to have blonde hair, small backpack, and a non-threatening demeanor. This makes her relax a bit, yet she keeps her hand over the knife below her collarbone, just to be safe.

     "It's alright," he says in an exceptionally ordinary and warm voice, "don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you."

     "What are you doing here?," asks Soline.

     "What are you doing here?," asks the boy, pointing the flashlight just below Soline's eyes.

     Soline blinks from the bright light and decides to play along, not wanting to get into a more undesirable predicament.

     "I just like hanging out here at night," she says with a shrug, trying not to let the fear she feels on the inside enter her voice.

     "If you wanna know why I'm here," says the boy, "I actually know who you are, and I'm here for you."

     "How did you know I was here then?," says Soline, very surprised.

     "We've been watching you," said the boy.

     Soline was exceptionally creeped out.

     "Who's 'we'?," she asks, very intrigued.

     "You'll find out soon enough, just come with me," he says.

     Soline doesn't trust this boy by any stretch, but she is ready for something novel and exciting to happen, whatever it may be.

     "Take my hand," he says, and she grabs onto it quickly.

     His grip is warm and steady, and he leads her back down the stairs.

      A single car rushes by, sounding distant, and the asphalt is hard under their feet.

     "Watch 'yer step...," he says.

     Once they are standing back down in the alley, Soline says, "What's your name?... you still haven't told me yet..."

     "David," he says, "no one ever calls me Dave, it's always just been the full name, David."

     "Right," Soline says, "...and I'm Soline."

     "This way Soline," David says, directing her out of the alleyway and releasing her hand, which Soline already missed holding somehow.

     They walked on, starting to engage in some mildly interesting conversation. What Soline finds out about him from their discussion is that he does in fact go to her school, he plays violin, and he also plays basketball. 

     Soline likes him greatly.

     Soon enough they are in a part of town that Soline hasn't ventured into very often. A building looms ahead of them, and David takes her hand again and leads her towards it.

     "Were gonna go in here," he says, motioning toward the mysterious building, and Soline doesn't complain, satisfied just to be holding his hand again. She sighs and he seems to sense this, squeezing her hand. She shivers.

     The structure they are entering is what appears to be a run-down cafe. Its doors are missing, leaving a wide opening through which to enter. In deep red, cursive, worn-out lettering it reads across the front wall, "La Cantina."

     Soline sees a group of hooded figures inside La Cantina. 

     She takes a deep breathe, trying to feel ready for whatever is next.