"This—this is my fellow gangster, alright? You get it?"
Syd held up his phone, showing a photo to Jody and Sera.
The image displayed four people who clearly shared a close bond, all around the same age as them.
On the far left was a Caucasian boy with shoulder-length green hair, wearing bright pink sunglasses and an oddly beautiful, almost feminine face.
Next to him—well, they knew him. That was Syd.
To Syd's right was an Asian guy with short navy-blue hair. His features were sharp and striking, giving off a Korean-Japanese actor vibe.
And finally, on the far right, a girl with the same hair color as Syd—short and choppy. No need for guessing; this had to be Roxxy Barrett.
"The one on the far left is Mickey," Syd began.
"Then there's me. Next is Toshi—he's full Japanese, but don't worry, he speaks English just fine. And over here on the far right... that's my little sister, Roxxy."
"Hold up..." Sera squinted at the photo.
"This green-haired one... he's a guy?"
"?!"
Now that Sera mentioned it, Jody had to take a second look.
"...You're right... If you hadn't said anything, I would've sworn he was a girl," Jody said.
Even as actual girls themselves, they were impressed. The green-haired boy with pink shades had a face delicate enough to put most girls to shame.
"Yeah, he gets that a lot. People say he's got a pretty face."
Once they were done examining the picture, Syd closed it.
"So... what's the plan for tomorrow?" Jody asked.
"I'm skipping school the whole day to meet up with these guys at my place. You two can go to class if you want. Totally up to you."
"I'm not going," said Jody without hesitation.
"...Ugh, great. I have to," Sera muttered with clear annoyance.
"Why?"
Jody turned to her.
"I've got a group project meeting with some classmates tomorrow."
"The school's basically on the verge of getting shut down, and you still care about schoolwork?"
"It's not that. I'm going in to submit my vacation leave request. So nobody gets suspicious. And I'll only be there for half the day."
"And how are you planning to slip out?" Jody asked.
Unlike Jody—who kept to herself and wouldn't be missed—Sera had a whole circle at school who'd notice if she went MIA.
"It's easy, Jody. I just call my dad, and bam—a signed letter from my guardian."
"Oh... right. Figures..."
"Must be nice to have a sweet, cozy life," Syd whispered into Jody's ear.
Jody couldn't help but giggle.
"Hey! I heard that, Syd!" Sera snapped.
"What?" Syd turned to her with his classic shit-eating grin.
"I only told Jody: 'That concludes today's meeting.' Seriously."
"Liar!"
. . .
The next morning.
A rare sunny morning in the UK—the kind that didn't happen often.
The door to a luxurious five-star hotel room swung open. Sera Gilmore herself stepped out.
Dressed in her school uniform, sporting a CHANEL classic mini bag, flawless makeup, and a fresh spritz of CHANEL perfume—because of course she did.
She wore her powder-blue school coat, cinched with a bright orange Hermès belt. After locking her room with a keycard, she headed down in the elevator and out the building.
A taxi was already waiting for her at the curb, just as it always did. She climbed in, on her way to school.
(Taxis in London look quite different—black, boxy, and nothing like the sedans you'd find in Thailand or the U.S.)
There was no need for her to state her destination. The school uniform alone was enough for the driver to know exactly where she was headed.
The black taxi pulled away from the front driveway of the high-rise, cruising smoothly toward its destination.
Sera sat in the back, casually scrolling through her phone, occasionally glancing out the window. There were a few red lights along the way, but overall, the traffic today was surprisingly smooth.
She watched the passing shops, the slow start of the morning routine unfolding on the sidewalks. People tapping at their phones without a clue where they were walking, others munching on sandwiches at outdoor tables, joggers breezing past…
Then her blue eyes caught something.
Even though the car was moving, that one moment seemed to slow time itself.
She saw a person—wearing a dull yellow jacket, with green hair, and something pink on their face—seated on a black iron bench facing the street. The same street her taxi was currently driving down.
"...?"
Sera turned to look again, just to be sure she wasn't imagining it. But it was too late. The taxi had already passed the spot.
"..."
Had she just imagined it?
She shook the doubt off.
Brrrrrrnnnn...
The taxi continued on, turning through an intersection. A few slowdowns, a few quick stretches—nothing unusual. Until…
She saw him again.
The same person. This time, he was standing, leaning against a lamppost—facing her cab. And he was staring straight at her.
And now it was clear as day.
It was Mickey. The one Syd had shown her.
But—how?
Her eyes widened. Beads of sweat began to trickle through her makeup.
We passed him like two streets ago! How the hell is he here now?!
Even if he'd run—and even if the taxi had hit a few red lights—it shouldn't have been possible. He would've needed to cross the street too.
Once again, the taxi rolled past him, and she lost sight of him.
Up ahead, she could see the school building now, its familiar flags fluttering in the wind.
Then suddenly, the taxi jerked to a stop.
"!?"
Luckily, the driver was skilled—he hit the brakes gently enough that all it did was nudge Sera slightly forward.
"…Why did we stop?"
"Apologies, miss. Seems the car ahead of us stopped suddenly."
Sera leaned to look. It was true. Two or three cars up ahead had stopped completely. The drivers had exited their vehicles and were now speaking with people on the sidewalk—looking down at something on the road.
"What's going on?" she asked.
The driver leaned out and called to someone nearby. His voice came back muffled, but he did receive a reply.
"Looks like… there's a live electrical wire down in the road."
"What? A power line?!"
In the UK, power cables were installed underground. So unless it had burst through a telephone box or up from under the pavement, it could only have come from the side of the street. But more importantly…
"A power line? In the middle of the road? How would that even happen?"
"They say it's just dangling there across the street."
Wait… Something's wrong.
Her instincts kicked in. This wasn't just a weird coincidence.
More sweat broke out beneath her foundation. The image of Mickey surfaced again in her mind.
"…Nope. I'm out."
She reached for the door.
"Keep the change," she said flatly, tossing a €100 note into the front. The ride hadn't even cost €50, but she didn't care anymore.
Thud!
She slammed the door and rushed across the street, clutching her Chanel bag.
As she passed the cars stopped in a row, she finally saw what was causing the hold-up: a thick electrical cable had indeed burst out from under one of the metal street lamps. The line had snapped and now lay coiled across the road—crackling at the ends with bright blue sparks.
No one dared go near it.
The question wasn't just how, but who could've even managed this? Who would go through the trouble of pulling a cable out from underground and slicing it just to block the street?
She didn't know.
She pushed past the onlookers, scanning the area as she moved.
And that's when she saw him.
Green-haired, pink-glassed Mickey, in his yellow jacket—standing across the street, eyes locked on her.
Their gazes met. In that moment, it was as if the world had shrunk to just the two of them.
There was no way she could pretend not to have seen him.
Sera froze. Her breath caught.
How the hell is he here?!
She snapped out of it and picked up her pace. Even if this was someone from Syd's team, the way he kept appearing was disturbing. What if he's an imposter? Someone mimicking Mickey's appearance? A trick from Palmer? Or some other enemy?
Her mind spun with possibilities.
She broke into a run, heels be damned, making for the school gate.
When she looked back—he was following her.
Calmly, steadily—but headed straight for her. He was already crossing the street, weaving through the stopped traffic like a ghost, eyes never leaving her.
Her heart raced.
This is insane.
Whoever this was, real or not—this was terrifying. She sprinted for the school entrance. And just in time—barely a few steps ahead of him—she passed through the school gate.
Outsiders, especially those not in uniform, were barred from entering.
She glanced back mid-run—
He was gone.
"…What the hell was that…"
Her stomach churned.
Sera didn't stop running until she was deeper inside school grounds, safe among the sea of students and teachers flowing through the main corridor.
She pulled out her expensive phone in a panic, trying to call Syd.
But—
Her thumbprint scanner wouldn't respond.
"?!?"
She pressed harder. Swiped. Tapped. Pushed. Her perfectly manicured black nail almost broke—but the screen refused to react.
Frozen. Completely unresponsive.
It was impossible. iOS devices didn't just randomly crash like this. Especially not from a touchscreen bug.
"My phone…?! Why can't I—?!"
She had no idea what was wrong. Was it her dry finger? A glitch? A virus?
None of it made sense.
And then—
"The touchscreen… It has one weakness, Seraphina Gilmore."
Her breath hitched.
A voice.
A man's voice—right behind her.
So close it might as well have been whispering into her ear.