The Thousand Kingdoms

Wednesday, October 6, 2021*

Harlem, Manhattan, New York, United States*

“Why do we have to go uptown to study? We are just going up there so you can flirt with your boyfriend,” Ella whined a bit. But, of course, this was too late as the “Plus, you know the university issued that warning about disappearances, I don’t really like going out that much nowadays.” A-train rumbled and nearly drowned out her under-the-breath remark.

“Shut up Els… Need to get out of the Village once in a while. Plus it is Thursday night! We can go out afterwards. You have been a total bore lately.” Charlie was definitely more dressed for going out than studying and was carrying a night bag which meant she was staying at her boyfriend’s place in Morningside Heights.

Charlie kept applying her makeup — far too much in Ella’s opinion. Plus, her new lipstick didn’t work with her pale white skin, but it prompted Ella to take out her compact and do some touch-up. The train car was filling in, but fortunately they had managed to grab seats. Her eyes were burning a bit from wearing the contacts all the time, and she took the opportunity to pop them out.

“Aren’t these just the coolest contacts you saw?” she asked Charlie. She wanted to establish her crystalline eyes as vanity contacts. Charlie didn’t look up but mumbled an affirmative, so Ella began adding some heavy eyeliner for the hell of it.

Charlie looked up finally and made a startled noise, “Those are intense… and will look amazing at 67 when we get there.”

“Charlie, what? You said we were studying. I am carrying around this ridiculous backpack.” Ella had really needed to get some work done, and this was a complete bait-and-switch. “You traitor!”

“Relax, just a couple of cocktails… Connor is bringing a friend.” she said sweetly.

“This is a set-up! This is like a Tinder trap.”

“Relax, he is handsome, see here. Columbia Med.” She pulled out a phone and showed her a pic of Connor and another guy. Connor’s close-cropped red hair and freckles on pasty skin glowed in the pic while his friend was leaning into the 70’s vibe with shoulder length hair and a striped long sleeve polo and, damn, were those bell-bottoms? He was cute… but no.

Ella said, “He is like Jade’s match. Send her the picture, she might be interested.” But recognizing her doom, Ella eventually folded to having just a “couple” of drinks.

They came up the stairs from the station and started the walk to the bar. It was March and there was a biting chill to the air still, Ella wrapped her arms around herself and started walking faster only to be held up by Charlie who was navigating in absolutely ridiculous high heels. Suddenly the street lights went out, and, looking around, Ella noted all the building lights also.

“A power outage, what the hell?” Charlie said, visions of the bar vanishing.

Ella was about to agree when she suddenly noticed a flashing green light from an apartment across the street. She could feel some bass filtering through her bones.

“Looks like a party,” she said dreamily. She stepped off the curb into the street, entirely ignoring the car that slammed its brakes.

“Ella, what are you talking about? What party? Where are you going?”

“To the party… Come on…” and Ella walked up to the door which swung open silently without her pressing the buzzer.

Charlie had pulled out her phone and was talking to Connor while chasing after Ella, “Yeah, the power went out, we are going to…” Charlie looked up to see, “above BLVD.”

She switched her attention back to Ella, “There is no party. The building is dark!” But Ella was not there, the door was shut, and the buzzer wasn’t working.