“I can do it.”
“Really?”
“You’ll owe me in a few quarters,” Alexander tells her.
“Can you just say months like a normal person?” Skylar sighs.
“Don’t worry, you won’t have any problem with this,” Alexander promises.
He turns to Ignacio. “You got time tomorrow? Actually, do you have time in the coming weeks?”
“I’m jobless,” Ignacio says miserably. “Also they won’t stop calling me.”
“Didn’t you sign the NDA? The story hasn’t gone public, either.” Skylar raises a brow.
“I’m still a liability, because they know I wouldn’t have dropped it unless something serious came up,” Ignacio admits.
Skylar’s phone buzzes then, and she looks down. “I need to go feed my dog.”
Skylar found Mianbao digging through the dumpster after dim sum with her family. For some reason still unknown to her, the dog followed her home. Her mother said it was because she had cha siu in her bag. Chinatown was filled with smells of every kind though, and cha siu was one of the most popular foods people loved to buy.
Mianbao was a light brown, like bread.
He was so skinny when she first got him, and so quiet. He rarely barked. Even after she fed him well and he gained energy, he didn’t bark. The most he did was a casual growl or woof. Nothing could faze that dog, not the durian crates, not construction, not sirens. Nothing.
“Hey baobei,” she whispers.
The dog wags his tail, trotting over as she fills his food bowl.
She leaves him to be to start her own dinner, a pack of carbonara buldak ramen. As she mixes in the carbonara powder, Mianbao starts barking. She startles, dropping the plastic into her ramen.
When she makes her way over to her living room, the dog is barking at nothing.
“What is it?” Skylar asks.
The dog looks at her frantically, before the phone rings.
“What do you mean he is gone?!”
Skylar had called Alex to ask how it was going; when he failed to reply, she called Ignacio.
“I don’t know,” Ignacio insists. “He wanted to knock out our first draft of my story tonight, and then he went to get takeout. He said he would be gone for only half-an-hour, but it’s been an hour.”
Skylar frowns. “He left you, a stranger I found via your illicit activities, in his apartment. Alone?”
“I am trying to tell you that something is wrong, and I need your help to find your friend!” Ignacio pleads. “You can even get your girl gang—”
“Women. We’re women,” Skylar corrects curtly.
“I thought it was cool,” he protests.
“What would a furry know about cool?” Skylar snaps.
“I’m not a furry!”
“Furry-for-pay, then,” she amends flatly. “Is that more dignifying?”
“Marginally yes, actually.”
Mianbao barks again.
Skylar flinches. The dog nuzzles her knee and looks up at her.
“I wish you could tell me what you know,” she tells him.
“I don’t know anything!”
“I wasn’t talking to you! I was talking to my dog.”
“Your dog has the answers?” Ignacio asks dubiously.
She glares. “No, mind your business.”
When she was a child, her grandparents told her tales of humans having intimate relationships with ghosts. The stories they described were impossible; one such story was of a man who attempted to poison a ghost who stole his food. The ghost would not stop vomiting, because apparently despite being a ghost, it could feel physical ailments.
Other stories, told when she was a bit older, involved humans getting intimate with ghosts in the most literal of manners. A man named Chuang Yao had an affair with a ghost, and somehow did not know. Preposterous, Skylar thought.
There were different types of ghosts, she was told. In Cantonese, they called them gwai, and in Mandarin they called them guǐ. Some were benevolent; others were vengeful. Some returned in reaction to actions of the living world, and others were self-assertive, acting upon their own whims. Yet another category were ghosts in need of help from the living.
Alexander Yuan grew up down the street from her. His parents owned a local laundry business that Skylar’s family frequented. His father provided standard laundry services, and his mother made clothing alterations and wedding dress restorations. She was from Hong Kong, and a skilled seamstress. Skylar’s own mother was beyond impressed when she flawlessly fixed her lung fung kwan gwaa.
Skylar’s father left when she was thirteen; they had no idea where he was. He left her a decent sum of money dedicated to her higher education fund, and nothing else. They did not know if he was alive, if he was in Asia, or anything at all.
Her mother moved back to Hong Kong to revive her corporate career. The Yuan family bought her new clothes, books, and any other necessities. They packed her lunches alongside Alexander’s, and she ate all her meals with them. Skylar thinks they would have likely let her live with them if they had the space.
Alexander’s parents died while they were pursuing their undergraduate degrees. They had gone to visit relatives in Malaysia. She vividly remembers being fuzzy eyed and wobbly after a night at the club when Alexander called her. In the following weeks, Skylar had learned Mrs. Yuan had left her wardrobe to her. She asked Alexander if he wanted to sell it; he was working two jobs, and the Yuans had already done so much for her. He had looked at her defiantly and told her never in a million years.
For years, she had wondered what she could have ever done to deserve the immense generosity she had received. Guilt and worry threaten to crush her, and she heaves for breath. She tries to call Alexander, to no avail.
Mianbao keeps barking.
“Where is Skylar?”
Millie looks around. “I dunno.”
She glances at Neves. “Did Skylar say she would be late?”
Neves frowns. “No. She lives a few blocks away from here, so she said she would walk.”
“Maybe there was an incident on the way,” Imani mutters.
Millie groans. “We’ll never hear the end of it if she doesn’t get here.”
“She’ll never hear the end of it,” Neves corrects.
“Yeah, and they’ll go at it in front of the rest of us!”
“I’ll call,” Neves says.
She steps into the lobby as she makes her call.
“Where are you?”
“I think I’m being haunted,” Skylar says, her voice muffled over the phone.
“What?!”
Neves hangs up on her, and makes her way back into the audience. “I need to go, Skylar says she’s being haunted. Tell Rocky sorry for both of us.”
“Wait, shouldn’t we all go? I mean, this sounds kind of dangerous,” Millie says.
“Rocky rarely asks us to support her at these things,” Imani responds. “I agree, at least one of us should go check on Skylar, but I must admit I am a bit skeptical. Ghosts? I think it is alright if Neves goes, and lets us know if they need backup.”
Neves nods, and hurries off again.
Millie turns to Imani. “Do you really think it’s nothing?”
“I’ve never known Skylar to be superstitious,” Imani says. “But ghosts aren’t real. Whatever it is, it is some kind of misunderstanding, and ghosts can’t actually do anything anyways.”
“That is true,” Millie admits.
“So you think you’ve seen a ghost,” Neves remarks.
“I know it sounds stupid,” Skylar says. “And, no.”
“No?”
“Mianbao heard it,” Skylar says seriously.
Neves glances at the dog. He stares back, looking bored, before flopping over.
“Your dog is some kind of ghostbuster?”
“Not a ghostbuster,” Skylar sighs. “He never barks though! You know this!”
“He’s still a dog, Skylar!”
“Something’s wrong,” Skylar insists.
Neves purses her lips. Then, she sighs. “Okay. Why do you think a ghost is coming to…haunt you, is it?”
“I suppose. I’m not sure,” Skylar says.
Neves exhales loudly. “Okay. Why don’t you start by telling me where you’re coming from?”
“My friend is missing; Alexander. You can tell me you told me so.” Skylar flops onto her sofa with a grimace.
“I’m sorry he’s missing,” Neves replies instead. “What do you know so far?”
“He hosted us in his apartment; I had to leave early to feed the dog. I knew,” Skylar bites her lip. “Or I assumed he could take care of himself. Ignacio calls me later, and tells me Alexander went to get them food for dinner. He says that Alex never came back; I went over there myself.”
“You should have told me,” Neves says then.
“Sorry,” Skylar sighs. “Anyways, I went over there, and nothing was out of sorts. I know where he keeps everything. Nothing was missing, aside from his phone and one of his keys. I already talked to all the neighbors. They heard nothing.”
“Where is Ignacio now?”
“I told him to go home. I don’t think it’s him though,” Skylar admits.
“How do you know?” Neves replies.
“We have too much leverage over him,” Skylar replies. “He was scared shitless, when I showed up. Me!”
“You can be scary sometimes,” Neves admits.
“Really?” Skylar’s brows raise.
“You,” Neves scratches her neck. “Never mind.”
“Wait, you have to tell me!” Skylar argues.
“You just…look scary sometimes!”
“Oh.”
Skylar chews her lip again, before she sighs. “Anyways, I think Alex’s mother is haunting me. I don’t know if she wants revenge, or wants me to help find him.”
“And you know this…how?’
“I don’t know for sure,” Skylar concedes. “But this is the most likely option.”
“WOOHOO!” Millie screams as Rocky is announced victorious.
Millie and Imani then gather their bags. Millie shoves buttery popcorn in her mouth, while Imani checks her phone. They make their way to the exit, shuffling over to the wall.
“Any updates?” Millie asks.
“Yes, and no,” Imani sighs. “Skylar is being unusually impractical.”
“Great,” Millie snorts.
Rocky returns, hands shoved in her pockets.
“Great fight,” Millie praises.
“Thanks.”
“The other two had an emergency,” Imani says.
“Of course they did,” Rocky snorts.
They walk over to Skylar’s apartment.
“Skylar’s friend got nabbed, and she’s trying to decide if the ghost she claims her dog is hearing is her friend’s mother’s ghost attempting revenge or cooperation,” Neves explains when they enter Skylar’s apartment.
“Of course,” Rocky yawns. “What else would it be?”
Skylar frowns, but says nothing.
“Okay,” Imani claps her hands. “Let’s start to unpack…this.”
“Wait!” Rocky holds up a hand. “You owe me for missing my match.”
Skylar rolls her eyes. “Carbonara or stir-fry?”
“Ew, what do you think?”
“Stir-fry is still good,” Skylar protests.
She throws a pack of carbonara buldak ramen at Rocky. Rocky pushes herself up and makes her way to the kitchen. She navigates it with ease, finding the bowls and water filter swiftly.
“Skylar, what are we working with?” Imani asks.
“Alex is missing; his mother is either seeking revenge on me, or she is trying to help me find him,” Skylar says.
They wait, but she doesn’t continue.
“Um, is there anything else we know?” Millie asks carefully.
Skylar huffs, visibly impatient.
Rocky looks up. “Okay, you know him the best. You have access to his place, right?”
Skylar nods.
“Okay, how about you go there, and we’ll spread out and look for the ghost,” Rocky says. “Regardless of what’s going on with his mother’s, erm, ghost, she was not the one that took him, right?”
Skylar nods again.
“So, we still need to find the circumstances in which he went missing. You and,” Rocky looks around. “Millie, go to Alex’s apartment. Try to figure out the why, and we’ll try figure out the what and how.”
“Alright,” Skylar concedes.
“Great,” Rocky leans back and continues to eat her ramen.
Millie stares curiously between them. As they get ready to leave, she pulls Rocky aside.
“How did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“She was acting all crazy,” Millie hisses under her breath. “And to be honest, you two aren’t exactly the closest of us all.”
Rocky raises a brow. “And what would you know?”
Millie steps back.
Millie had joined the group last; she was a working at an overpriced coffee shop near FIT, where Imani was a student. During the summer months, Imani brought her friends around quite frequently. When she happened to run into them downtown during a mystery, Imani recognized her. Millie, a connoisseur of true crime podcasts, was able to help them. That was when they brought her into the group.
She came to find out, though, that the others were quite sufficient already. Neves and Imani were excellent with studying physical evidence; Neves was a scientist, and Imani worked in fashion. Rocky was the group’s best fighter; she was strategic too, which benefited them in multiple ways. Skylar was a diligent researcher; she combed through anything from social media pages to articles to academic texts.
Skylar was usually the critical component in uncovering the backstories of both the victims and perpetrators. Now, she seemed totally out of it, and Millie was assigned to pick up the slack.
Millie was the group’s extra, the backup.
“Millie?’
She glances at Rocky. “I’m good.”
Skylar lives above a restaurant.
When they go downstairs, an elderly woman scolds her.
“What was that?” Imani asks.
“She’s upset with my dog,” Skylar says. “Says he was barking too loud.”
Skylar and Millie head off to Alexander’s apartment, and the rest of them stand in the street.
“Any leads?” Neves sighs.
“Wait,” Imani frowns as she checks her phone. “There’s been some kind of vandalism at a nearby skincare store.”
They head to the store. It’s the upstairs store, and across the door to the stairs, there is a message sprayed across the door.
“Fuck your PR,” Imani reads quietly.
Before they can react further, a greyish figure clad in rags bursts through the door. Its hair is greasy, long black locks flying everywhere. People scream and shuffle backwards.
Rocky follows in pursuit as the figure runs down the street. There is an open grate, and the ghost flees down the stairs. As Rocky tries to follow, the door to a nearby shop flings open.
“What do you think you’re doing?” A man barks.
“Sir, someone just ran down there,” Rocky protests.
The man narrows his eyes. “I’ll check it out myself. Shoo!”
He goes down and shuts the grate.
They wait above the grate, anticipating sounds of some kind of fight or struggle. There is none, though.
“Weird,” Neves mutters. “What is this place, anyways?”
“It’s an herbal pharmacy. I think,” Imani says.
They go inside.
An elderly woman sits at the counter. She mutters something under her breath, before she stands.
“What can I help you with?”
“We’re just looking,” Imani says. “Do you have any recommendations for skincare?”
“Oh, yes. We don’t use any toxins or harmful substances either,” the woman says proudly.
She lifts a tin. “This uses goji berries; they nourish the skin, and are rich in antioxidants which protect from premature aging.”
“Is beta-carotene one of them?” Neves asks. “I know that protects from oxidative stress which is a major factor in the loss of skin elasticity.”
The woman raises a brow. “Yes, actually. We also have this herb, Chuanxiong, which has anti-inflammatory properties.”
They stay there for a while longer, before moving on. Before they leave, Imani asks the woman’s name.
“You may call me Ms. Liu,” the woman decides.
“Thank you, Ms. Liu.”
As they leave, Rocky glances back. “It doesn’t seem like they get many customers.”
“Maybe we came at a bad time,” Neves guesses.
“Or maybe, the older methods are falling out of fashion, especially with the growing popularity of Korean and other Asian skincare companies,” Imani says. “Skincare is not my forte, I will admit. But I follow all fashion trends.”
“So you think this is a classic case of trying to stifle the competition?”
“So,” Millie scratches her arm. “Tell me about this Alexander guy.”
“We grew up together,” Skylar tells her. “My father left when I was pre-teen. My mother moved back to Hong Kong to get a better job; his parents supported me a lot during that time. When we were undergrad students, his parents died.”
Millie frowns. “I’m sorry for your loss, and for his.”
“Thank you,” Skylar says.
She lifts up a framed photo from Alexander’s shelf. “This is them. His mother was an incredible seamstress.”
Millie looks at the photo. The woman’s clothes are indeed richly embroidered. Even in the aged quality of the photo, Millie can see the radiant quality of the golden thread against red silk. Her hair is glossy, and pinned an elaborate updo held together by golden pins and red gems. The father dresses more in the western fashion, although his suit seems to fit him well, and seems well-made.
Millie lowers the photo. “So, um, you think his mother is a ghost, right?”
Skylar nods.
“If it’s not overstepping, can we…do you know how she became a ghost?”
“You want to know how she died.”
“If you know and are alright with sharing, yes.”
Skylar hums.
She sits back down in a chair. “They died in Malaysia, visiting relatives.”
“Do you know…how? I’m sorry to keep asking, but maybe that might influence her modus operandi now,” Millie says.
“They died in a fire,” Skylar says.
“Where did they stay?” Millie asks.
“Pulau Indah.”
As Millie looks up the place, Skylar continues. “Malaysia, and other Southeast Asian countries, became major destinations for imported recycling a few years ago. They get an overwhelming amount of recycled materials from North America, Europe, and I think some countries in East Asia. The problem is that improper disposal of recycled materials, especially plastic, contaminate entire batches. Malaysia is not a huge country, and there are already limited recycling facilities. The plastic recycling tangles the situation further, so there is a lot of contaminated waste that isn’t recycled.”
“I’d assume this would have an impact on the natural environment,” Millie says.
Skylar nods. “They release harmful pollutants, and they take a very long time to degrade, if it all.”
“It seems like there’s a lot of that going on at that place you mentioned, Pulau Indah,” Millie says.
“There is a lot of plastic burning on Pulau Indah,” Skylar says. “To this day, the story is that his parents wandered to close to one of these sites, and got…well, caught up in it.”
Millie grimaces.
Then, her phone rings.
“Hello?”
“Can you and Skylar look up Kkoch Skin?” Imani asks. “Thanks.”
“I forgot to ask, did you tell them about the ghost?” Rocky asks.
“I think it best if we clarify things before,” Imani says. “Are you sure this is a ghost?’
“From what I have heard from Skylar in the past, the ghosts according to her people’s legends, ghosts can very much take physical forms and actions,” Rocky sighs. “One such case was a guy…I forgot his name. Tu…something. Anyways, he was this important minister who fell from grace and became this…avenging spirit or something. He shot the king who had him executed, indicating that ghosts could do real-world harm.”
Neves purses her lips.
“Do you know anything about Kkoch Skin?” Millie asks.
“Alexander works with this company,” Skylar says.
She pulls out a folder from the bookshelf. “He was conceptualizing a new PR box for a new campaign. Why?”
“Imani asked me to look them up. They also sent a photo. Someone said fuck your PR,” Millie says slowly. “It seems there was some kind of controversy with the company.”
“And they’re covering it up; Alex was likely part of it,” Skylar says.
She does not sound surprised.
Millie taps away at her phone.
“Whatever they did, they did a good job keeping a clean record. I don’t really see much here, aside from how they use sustainable packaging. It’s all…good.”
“Maybe a former employee or someone who had a bad reaction to the product,” Skylar guesses.
“I dunno; their reviews on both Glassdoor and all the shopping sites seem fine.”
The rest of the group returns, and they gather around the kitchen table.
“Something’s up with the company Alexander’s firm works with,” Skylar says without preamble. “Whatever it is, they’ve got it well controlled. We think whatever has happened, it’s currently completely internal, or someone who has experienced this issue firsthand. They may have been paid off, or yes, even threatened somehow.”
“He works with the firm, not the company, right? That means he’s probably not entitled to know everything that goes, just what they need him to work on,” Millie says.
“Yeah, but he still knows some stuff,” Skylar says.
“Skylar, we saw the ghost,” Neves confesses. “They wrote the message on the door.”
“Is there a connection between Skylar’s apartment and the ghost out in the streets?” Millie asks.
“Not that we know of,” Rocky says.
“We need to uncover what happened with the company, and I think everything else should start to fall in place then, right?” Millie asks.
“Good idea, I think that’s our best bet,” Imani agrees.
“I should call Ignacio,” Skylar says then. “I really don’t think he had anything to do with this, actually. Too much is at stake for him. But he’s the last person I can confirm has seen Alexander.”
She goes into Alexander’s room to be alone. In Alexander’s room, she finds a manila folder. Skylar is tempted to look, but refrains.
“Pry as little as possible,” she urges herself.
Ignacio answers the phone quickly.
“Did you find him?”
“No,” she admits. “Look, don’t get defensive, because I’m actually not suspicious of you now. But I need a full briefing of everything that happened when you last saw him. Any seemingly irrelevant detail is fine.”
“Okay. After you left, everything seemed to come together fast. I liked the statement he helped me write, and we talked about potential connections he could help me make. We were in the process of building a list to refer to later. He got a call around…7:30 pm that evening. I didn’t understand what he said of course, but he sounded upset. I asked him if he was alright when he came back. He said that his native language was a tonal one, but that because he grew up here and his language skills were a bit rusty, he sometimes spoke in exaggerated tones. So when he used what he called the downwards tones, he sounded a lot sharper than he felt? He insisted he was fine, but that he didn’t have food to eat. He ordered takeout, and he said he would go pick it up. I don’t know him well of course, but when he took a while, I thought…maybe he was taking a long route. I don’t know, maybe to clear his head. He didn’t come back though, and that’s when I called you.”
“Thank you,” Skylar says. “I’ll tell you if we find anything.”
After she hangs up, she notices a piece of paper sticking out of Alexander’s printer. Scattered around the printer are post-it notes. Alexander’s handwriting when he’s in a rush is a mess; she squints and turns the post-its.
“Father’s…cousin…wife…”
Grimacing, she goes over and pulls it out.
“GUYS!”
“I don’t like this,” Millie mutters as they push open the door to the stairs.
The store is technically open; they’d painted over the graffiti, although many of the locals are still wary.
As soon as the door closes, they hear a shriek.
“AH!” Millie screams as the ghost jumps out of the shadowy corner at the bottom of the stairs.
Rocky swings, the ghost ducks. She lunges straight at Skylar, clawed talon hooking around her necklace. She yanks it, and the thin gold chain pops open.
Skylar kicks the ghost as she tries to pocket it. The ghost loses balance, and stumbles backwards. Rocky catches her, and secures her in a headlock.
The ghost tries to pry off her arm, but without success. Soon enough, they hear the ringing of alarms and sirens.
Imani pulls off the mask.
“Um, who is that?” Millie asks.
“That’s Ms. Liu,” Neves says. “She runs the herbal shop near here. We did suspect her, but were not aware of the extent of her motives.”
“This is Foo Jin Tai, also known as Liu Jin Tai. She is the wife of Liu Minghei, who is the cousin of Alex’s father,” Skylar explains. “Many years ago, Alex’s father and mother perished in a fire while on a trip to visit family in Malaysia. The fire was started to burn plastic waste, as is common there due to the abundance of unusable plastic recycling shipped to Malaysia from all over the world. Years later, Alex works in public relations; the skincare company he is working with, is owned by the parent company that had ties to the fire that killed Alex’s parents.”
She takes a deep breath, before continuing. “The company is very old; it is called Huis van Bas, derived from the Dutch word for master. It was called House of the Master, basically. The origins of the House date back to the 1600s, when the Dutch were contending over control of Macau. They lost to Portugal, but this family stayed operating in both Europe and Asia, and accumulated intergenerational wealth. In the 20th century, one of the descendants started the company that is the most contemporary business enterprise of Huis Van Bas. They became a trusted western company selling exotic eastern goods to western clientele. This is the parent company to a bunch of other companies; so they do a wide variety of things.”
Skylar purses her lips as she looks at her feet. “The point is that this company is very, very large. They are not exactly the most famous for themselves, but more for the companies that they own. But their operations are very expansive. In the past few years, they’ve also worked to get into the growing Asian markets.”
“The rise of Korean skincare internationally would be very exciting for them,” Imani says.
“Yes, it is. They acquired this company, Kkoch Skin,” Skylar says. “Kkoch Skin, aside from some other brands they acquired earlier in the late ‘90s and early 20th century, they’re more sustainable brands. This parent company, they have rewards programs for recycling. They pride themselves on recycling, and other popular sustainable practices.”
“However, within recycling it’s not that simple; as Skylar said, most plastic recycling is not usable,” Neves sighs.
“Yes,” Ms. Liu finally speaks up. “They and other companies send their waste to Malaysia, where most of it is burned. Minghei’s dear cousin, Renhao, and his wife Alexandra, perished as a consequence.”
She looks at Skylar, Skylar’s necklace still in her hand.
“She gave this to you.”
“Yes,” Skylar says.
“I didn’t kidnap Alexander,” Ms. Liu insists. “I do not know where he is. I do try not to get involved in all the fancy corporate stuff going on in Manhattan. I just run my little shop. But when we found out our new competitor had, well, been involved or at least complicit in such tragedy, we looked further into it. We found out then that Alexander was working with them, as he was listed as a contact on their…statement?”
“Press release?”
“Yes, that sounds right.”
“Why didn’t you just try to…tell him?” Millie asks.
“I tried to reach out to him, but it was so hard! He was always so busy, and he wouldn’t pick up the phone. Minghei and I tried to email him then, everything we could find. All the evidence, all the connections we had made. We believe in our ancestors, and strong relationships with our deceased family,” Ms. Liu says. “I grew desperate.”
“When did you last reach out?” Skylar asks.
Ms. Liu tells them she had reached out the night Alexander went missing.
“I swear,” the old woman pleads. “I just wanted to scare him, get him to drop the project. We didn’t do anything to him!”
Sirens start to ring outside.
“Please, Skylar,” Ms. Liu begs. “I didn’t mean any harm.”
“I’ll help you deal with…them, after I find Alexander,” Skylar decides.
“You should go now,” Imani advises. “I understand where you’re coming from, but I don’t think we should leave an old woman unattended like this to deal with the cops alone, especially since there is still some uncertainty regarding what happened to your friend.”
“Thanks,” Skylar says.
Skylar runs out of the building.
She runs down the street, and she hears yelling in the distance. In a panic, she runs into a temple.
“Skylar?”
She blinks and sees Alexander right in front her. Without thinking, she slaps him.
A monk stands up, and Alexander waves vaguely behind him.
“We were looking for you everywhere!” yells Skylar in his face. “What the fuck is wrong with you, could you not even answer your phone?”
“If you looked everywhere, I’m sure you’ve figured it out,” he says miserably.
Skylar steps back. “Yeah. Ms. Liu dressed up as a ghost to scare you into quitting the project.”
“She did?” He blinks.
“Have you been here the whole time?” Skylar replies.
“Yeah. I just…I had to think. I fucked up so bad, and I didn’t know where else to go. I’ve just been spending all day meditating, and praying. I’m arranging a trip to Hong Kong, and I’m going to spend thousands on sacrifices to them,” he rambles.
“Where were you the whole time, though? You can’t live here,” Skylar says.
“One of the monks let me stay at his place upstairs, and pay for a room,” Alexander says. “I was so messed up, I didn’t even want to go home. I couldn’t cook, I couldn’t do anything. I took days off from work, but I don’t know what I’m going to do, because I don’t have another job lined up.”
His voice starts to speed up and he sounds more aggravated with each word.
“You didn’t know,” Skylar tells him.
“I should have; also, I’ve done a lot of shit,” he laughs bitterly.
“Are you mad at Ms. Liu?”
“What? No. She tried to warn me, and I was just so stressed from work already I got really bad at answering calls and texts,” Alexander says.
“Okay, because she might be getting arrested down the street,” Skylar says sheepishly.
“What?!”
Alexander runs outside, and Skylar follows.
“Which way?”
She points, and he runs ahead of her. The cops are standing impatiently outside of the building.
“You!” One of the women snaps. She points at Skylar. “You tried to run from the scene.”
“She went to find me,” Alexander explains. “Because I work on this project, the new store.”
He makes a call. “Hi, yes, I’m actually on site now. I’d strongly advise not pressing charges. I’ll explain more later, but I’m here in person…okay, thanks.”
“We’re not pressing charges,” he tells them confidently.
The woman looks displeased, but gives a loud huff and nods.
Alexander ignores her and they go inside.
“Hi auntie,” he says. “I’ll deal with everything, I promise. I didn’t…I didn’t know, but I’ll quit. I need to tell you about my plans first, though.”
“I couldn’t reach you,” she explains.
“I know, that’s on me,” he sighs. “I’ll make it up to you and uncle.”
She nods, looking mildly placated. She gives Skylar back the necklace, who pockets it.
“I’ve got it from here,” Alexander tells the rest of them.
“Don’t disappear again,” Skylar scolds. “Or at least tell me.”
“Yes,” he says. He kisses her head. “I’ll see you later.”
“Your friend’s a mess,” Rocky says bluntly.
“It could have been worse though,” Millie says.
“Thanks guys,” Skylar tells them. “I really appreciate it.”
“We still have to figure out what happened with your dog,” Imani says as they return to Skylar’s building.
As they approach her apartment, they see a middle-aged woman blowing a silent whistle. Mianbao starts barking from inside.
“You!” Skylar cries. “You’ve been using a dog whistle on my dog!”
The older lady jumps at their presence. Then she glares. “And if I have?”
“That’s messed up,” Neves mutters.
“Why?” Skylar demands.
“My niece is graduating soon, and needs a place to live,” the lady sighs. “I wanted you to move out earlier, but I guess for now we’ll just keep her in our place until your lease ends.”
She stomps off.
Skylar turns after her, but Neves snatches her wrist.
“Come on.”
They enter Skylar’s apartment, and Mianbao practically crashes into Skylar.
“I know, baobei,” she sighs. “It seems it was a bitch, not a ghost.”
“You should have let Skylar at her,” Millie tells Neves.
“Does Skylar have a place to move yet?” Neves retorts.
“Good thinking,” Imani notes.
“I try,” Neves scoffs.
“I have frozen dumplings in the freezer,” Skylar yawns as she curls up next to her dog.
Mianbao licks her mouth and nose.
Neves and Rocky take over the kitchen.
“I can fix your necklace,” Imani offers.
“Thank you,” Skylar whispers. Then she sits up. “And I really mean that. Thanks for everything.”
Imani pats her head. “You did good. Both of you.”
“You were really great,” Skylar praises Millie afterwards. “I…I don’t think we could have solved this one without you.”
“I don’t think I did anything particularly special,” Millie confesses.
“No, I was really going crazy,” Skylar tells her. “You have this grounding presence, and you ask the right questions. It’s hard for me to explain now, because I am still very overwhelmed. But you make a difference, is what I’m trying to say.”
“Thanks,” Millie says shyly.
Mianbao whines as he rolls over. Skylar laughs softly and scratches his belly. Then she sighs.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do; I need to find a place that will take in dogs.”
“My place allows dogs,” Neves says. “We started boiling your dumplings, by the way.”
Skylar raises a brow. “You’re already living with someone.”
“Our lease ends in a few months, and she’s moving to the Bayou to play in the swamp,” Neves rolls her eyes.
“You’d be willing to live with me?”
“Why not?”
“Thanks,” Skylar says.
Neves looks at her curiously, before she climbs onto the sofa. “So, what are we watching? And no, Millie, we’re not watching Dateline.”
“It’s a classic!”
K.L. Quan 