Star had just arrived at Rent-A-Hand Cleaning Services after her classes at Crestfall University. There was only one mission on her mind before she went home.
She spotted the entrance gate ahead, guarded by a security man with his baton in hand. Her eyes landed on a large stone by the walkway, and without a second thought, she strode towards it and bumped into it hard.
She screamed loudly, just enough to draw the security guard's attention.
He rushed towards her at once.
"Are you all right, ma'am?" the security asked, concern rising in his voice.
Star cried out in pain a little harder, crouching as though the hurt was unbearable. The moment he came close, she clutched at him briefly, using his chest for balance.
"Can I get you to the nurse?" the security asked.
"No, no... I'm fine. It's just a bruise. I'm used to those," Star said, calmer now. She gave him a polite smile.
"I'm here to wait for my father... Tomas—"
"Yes, it's almost time to knock off. Just head inside and sit by the waiting benches in the lobby," the security said, signalling her to go in.
His eyes stayed on her with concern as she limped away.
Star opened her palm and took the pass card she stole from the security guard. She smirked, then opened the door to the lobby, slipped inside, and shut it behind her. She walked straight away-of course she faked everything.
She walked straight ahead, then sneaked past the receptionist, who was busy packing up for the day. It was indeed knock off time.
Star kept low as she moved through the lobby, her heart racing. She prayed no one would see her until she was out of sight. Once she was safely away, she stood up, brushed the dust from her knees, and slipped into the ladies' locker room.
The locker room was full of women changing clothes, with the sound of running water coming from the bathing cubicles. Star moved quietly between the lockers, scanning the room.
"Jeez, you're going home and still putting on makeup," she murmured under her breath seeing a woman apply make-up as she continued her search.
Then she saw it.
The locker she was looking for.
"Gotcha," she whispered.
She moved quickly to it, pulled a clipper from her jacket pocket, and picked the lock open.
"Hey, please give me some soap. Mine finished," Star heard one woman say to another.
Footsteps approached.
Star froze and immediately ducked behind the edge of the locker.
The woman whose locker she had just opened arrived, followed by another woman. The owner frowned when she saw the lock hanging open.
"Did I leave my locker like this? Open?" the woman asked, confused.
"I don't know. I just want soap," the first woman replied, her arms folded across her chest, a towel hanging properly around her.
The second woman handed her the soap and dismissed the matter as nothing serious, assuming she had simply forgotten to lock it after bathing.
"It's payday today. You have to pay me back for that soap," the second woman said.
This evil woman is stingy, Star thought, rolling her eyes. It's just soap.
After what felt like forever, the women finally left. Star had grown impatient; to her, they had taken days to walk out of that locker room.
Once she heard the locker close and the footsteps fade, she emerged from behind the lockers. By then, the room was nearly empty.
She caught sight of the woman's back as she walked away, wearing a skimpy skirt that Star was certain had nothing underneath.
Star picked the lock again and searched through the woman's things. Frustration rose in her chest when she found nothing useful. She slammed the locker shut and leaned against it, disappointed.
"She didn't leave with anything... where is her phone?" Star muttered, touching the back of her head.
She had long natural hair, tied neatly into a bun. Then the image of the woman in the skimpy clothes flashed in her mind, and a thought struck her.
Slowly, Star stepped out from behind the row of lockers and peeped around to check whether anyone was still inside.
What she saw made her freeze.
The woman whose locker she had been breaking into was lying on the table where they all ate lunch; star assumed, with a man on top of her.
"Dad," Star whispered in disgust, and quickly took a picture of them.
"You're so delicious, Frienda," Star's father said, drunk in pleasure as he fondled Frienda, and she moaned loudly.
Star felt as though a heavy rock had dropped into her heart. She instantly regretted ever setting foot in that room.
"Better than your wife?" Frienda asked.
"Far better than my useless, maid wife," Tomas replied, then playfully bit Frienda's neck before kissing her again.
"I love you, Frienda... so much," Tomas said, now looking at her with what almost seemed like tenderness.
Star took several pictures and switched on the recording on her phone. She was collecting evidence to file for a divorce for her mother. She had suspected her father was cheating and had wanted proof by hacking into Frienda's phone, but that attempt had failed when she noticed Frienda's phone lying on the table beside them.
"When are we moving in? The twins want their rights," Frienda asked.
"Soon, babe... soon," her father whispered, though Star still heard him clearly. "And once you move in, Louise and her daughter will be our maids."
Frienda smiled lovingly and kissed him again.
Star hissed softly, her fists tightening until her knuckles turned white.
Frienda had been her mother's best friend for as long as she could remember. But this was Crestfall. Everyone for themselves.
Then she heard footsteps nearing the dressing room.
Tomas quickly hid behind the lockers, freezing when he saw Star there.
"Star?" he said, and almost at once, he shut up.
The security guard had opened the locker room door.
"Gentlemen, this is the ladies' room," Frienda said quickly, half-covering her body with the door. Only her head was visible to the security guard.
"Did you see a girl? Young, with a backpack? She stole my pass card," the security guard asked.
Frienda frowned and shook her head.
"Everyone has left already. I'm all alone here," Frienda said.
The security guard looked around, his face tightening into an angry frown. When he saw no one else and decided Frienda had told the truth, he left.
"Babe," Frienda said after the door shut behind him. "Let's finish what we started."
She froze when Tomas emerged from behind the lockers, dragging a girl by the collar of her jacket.
Frienda felt exposed, embarrassed, and desperate as she tried to cover herself with her bare hands. She was still wearing the shortest skimpy skirt and a bra.
"Who is this?" she demanded.
"No one," Star replied quickly. "I was just leaving."
She ran off before her father could say anything else. Tomas, too, could not find the words to explain to Frienda that his daughter might have seen everything.
By the time Star got home, she found her mother in the kitchen, cooking as usual, too absorbed in her work to notice Star standing by the door. Star smiled.
It was only a matter of time before her mother divorced her abusive, inconsiderate husband. A husband who, as it turned out, was cheating with her best friend.
"Hi, Mom," Star said as she entered the kitchen.
"Oh, you're back. I was just making your favourite," Louise said with a kind chuckle when she saw her daughter. It always felt lighter when Star was home, especially with her father around.
Star opened the pot, but her mother knocked her on the head.
"Undress first," Louise said.
"Ouch, Mom," Star said, dropping the lid so it dangled back over the pot as she rubbed the spot where she had been hit.
"I thought making my favourite meant I should come and taste," Star said, laughing as she left the kitchen.
"Go... we don't have enough soap to wash clothes every day," Louise replied.
They were middle-class people. Louise had never worked a day in her life; it was her husband who provided everything in the house. They were stable because of him, and she remained indebted to him, no matter how badly he treated her.
Star threw herself onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. Then she picked up her phone and replayed the recording she had made in the locker room earlier.
"...the twins want their rights..." the recording played.
Star frowned.
"The twins?" she murmured to herself in curiosity.
Suddenly, a message popped onto her phone.
In the alley, now.
Star did not even bother to change. She sprinted out.
"I will be right back, Mom," she called on her way out.
"Dinner will be ready soon," Louise replied.
Star met her childhood best friend, Lucian, in the alley.
Lucian was older than Star by a few years, and it showed—not in age, but in the way he carried himself. He was tall, muscular, and moved with a quiet confidence that made people step out of his way without him saying a word. A flower tattoo rested along the side of his neck, soft in design but dangerous on him, like a warning disguised as art.
His blue eyes, paired with his short brown hair, gave him a face that was both handsome and dangerous at the same time. Tonight, he wore a black coat over a fitted poloneck, the dark clothes making his eyes stand out even more. He looked like a man who belonged to the night, to secrets, to problems people like Star should stay away from—but he was the only place she felt safe.
When he looked at Star, the danger in him softened. When anyone else looked at him, they saw trouble.
He lived uptown, but he always made time to meet her there. She hugged him tightly.
Lucian buried his face in her hair-now untied and cascading, during the hug, unnoticed by Star. She thought they were best friends, but to Lucian, Star was much more than that. He loved her deeply, though he had not yet confessed. He was afraid that whatever they had might disappear if he did, along with her.
"Why did you come late?" Star asked.
"I'm sorry. I got caught up in work," Lucian replied. "Here's the stock..." He handed Star a plastic bag filled with packs of sweets.
"Thank you so much... I don't know how I will ever repay you," Star said, smiling.
That smile. One smile from Star, and everything was right in Lucian's world. She was his everything.
"Don't bother," he said softly. "Come on, let me buy you dinner."
"Oh, I'm sorry..." Star said. "Mom prepared dinner, and she'll beat me if I don't eat it, especially when she made my favourite."
Lucian looked disappointed, and Star could see it.
"It's okay. Tomorrow then?" he asked.
"Yes, tomorrow for sure," Star replied.
"Greet Ms. Set for me," Lucian said, kissing Star on the forehead before getting into his car and driving off.
Star watched his car blend into the traffic before heading home.
The moment she opened the door, she froze.
Her father was beating her mother mercilessly, shoving her hard to the ground.
Star did not hesitate.
She ran to him and pulled him off her mother, then punched him hard enough to throw him across the living room floor.
She rushed to her mother and helped her up as she winced in pain.
"Just look at your stupid daughter," Tomas spat angrily, holding his bleeding nose. Lately, Star had gained some spine. If she saw him beating her mother again, she fought back.
He clearly did not know what had gotten into her lately.
Disrespectful. Stupid.