Page 4 of Revenge of the Forgotten

“It took me a lot longer to find you this time.”

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Vega couldn’t strip the look of shock from her face. Her mouth hung slightly ajar, all thoughts gone from her brain, and she had to remind herself to breathe.

The girl laughed lightly, radiating warmth into Vega from the sweet sound. Her curls had the volume she’d only ever dreamed of having, and her amber skin glowed despite the dim bar lighting. Vega got an ethereal feeling when looking at her.

God, she’s beautiful.

The bartender slid the shots at them. “Fifteen-fifty.” Without hesitation, the woman slid some cash across the bar top, only taking her eyes off Vega long enough to thank the bartender.

Vega finally realized she was gaping and clamped her mouth shut. The girl’s eyes ticked down Vega’s body, raking her eyes over her rumpled clothes. Vega threw her arms across her chest, suddenly self-conscious about her appearance.

“You look like shit,” the other girl said, throwing her head back to take the shot.

“Excuse me?” Vega asked, the feeling of astonishment dissipating quickly. “Who are you?”

“I’m Arlet. You grew up calling me Arlie. Once, you just called me Lee, which I hated. I didn’t like you much then, either. You were very mean in that life.” She eyed the shot beside Vega. “You gonna take that, or can I? It’s been a long week.”

That life?

Vega reached down and pinched herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, ignoring her question. Arlet must have taken her silence as an answer because she grabbed the shot and tipped it straight down the hatch.

“I’ve seen you before,” Vega finally admitted, unsure of what else she could say.

“What?” Arlet asked, stunned.

“I’ve seen you in my dreams. I-I saw you today, just a little bit ago. In my head.” Vega started to feel nauseous again—or maybe the nausea had never really left.

Arlet leaned back, her fingers tapping on her chin while her eyes clouded over in thought. “That’s new.” She raised her hand to signal another round of shots.

Vega didn’t object.

“What do you mean, that’s new?” Vega watched Arlet’s every move.

“In your other lives, that’s never happened. You’ve never had dreams of me.” Arlet’s brows creased in the middle, and she bit her lip, still pondering as she reached for the new shots. She extended one in Vega’s direction. She hesitated to grab it. “I’m not going to bite you, Vega.”

Her name on the stranger’s lips sent Vega flying out of her chair. The stool would have clattered to the floor if it weren’t for Arlet’s catlike reflexes.

“How do you know my name?” Vega’s voice was shaky, warbling with shock.

Arlet shrugged, her eye contact unwavering. “Because I’m your best friend.”

Vega was paralyzed in shock, fear, disbelief, or a combination of all three. “You’re crazy. Absolutely mad.” She scoffed.

Arlet sighed, took both shots, and patted the cushion on the stool Vega had vacated. “According to your favorite book, we’re all mad here.” Arlet spread her grin as big as possible, mimicking the Cheshire Cat.

“How—?” Vega cut herself off, stepping back from the stool. Her boot scuffed against the sticky floor, gaining the attention of the other patrons again.

“Everything okay over here?” the bartender asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Arlet smiled sweetly. “Oh, she’s fine! We haven’t seen each other in a long time, and I surprised her.” Arlet wiggled in excitement, momentarily turning her attention to the woman. “We’ve been best friends all our lives and haven’t seen each other in fifteen years.” Her words oozed with elation. The bartender settled quickly as if under some kind of spell.

“How sweet.” She smiled big despite missing a bottom tooth. “You two let me know if you need anything, okay?” The bartender padded away after Arlet nodded enthusiastically.

“Who are you?” Vega felt like a broken record. Had her little episode earlier fried her brain?

“I told you. I’m Arlet… and I’m your best friend. Maybe you are drunker than I thought. Should I walk you home?” Arlet stood up.

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