Lola Zeller woke up with a start. She sat up in bed and fumbled for the light switch on the wall. Flicking it on, she stared at the body on the floor, lying in a pool of blood, gunshot in the centre of the forehead, and only just managed to keep herself from screaming. With her eyes fixed on the body, she grabbed her phone and took a picture of it, sending it to Zack immediately. Perhaps he would be able to explain this one.

Before she left her room to have breakfast, Lola opened the curtains, revealing a drab, dull morning, clouds hanging gloomily over a dilapidated council estate. She sighed.

Easing her bedroom door open, Lola sidestepped the body and exited her room. She sighed as her eyes caught a glimpse of her sister’s room across the hall, with the door open just enough to see an unconscious figure lying in the bed. Out drinking last night, no doubt. She really was the worst guardian.

The proof of that was in the house itself. It wasn’t particularly unclean, but everything was messily laid out. Things were kept in the strangest places, and there was little regard for where they were supposed to be. The house was dimly-lit, and there was a broken bulb on the landing which plunged it into darkness. Clothes were the only thing that were bothered with – they were washed, cleaned and placed into her or her sister’s wardrobe with strict regularity. Most of their clothes were black, matching their dark hair, but Lola preferred jumpers and jeans whilst her sister flaunted crop tops and leather pants, especially if she was on a night out. And she usually was.

Making her way downstairs, her phone buzzed. She opened her phone excitedly, but Zack hadn’t replied. It was Geoffrey.

 GS hey lola

Heya. What do you want? LZ 

 GS just thought we could chat for a bit

I guess. I’m a little shaken already. LZ 

There’s a body in my room. LZ 

 GS oh i see

 GS i had one like that, mine was twin girls who were giggling as they stabbed each other in the hands

What the hell? LZ 

 GS i know right

She made her way through the dining room and into the kitchen, and began to prepare some breakfast: pain au chocolat, freshly microwaved. She was the one who did most of the grocery shopping, using her sister’s income before she could fritter it all on new clothes. Lola attempted to buy a range of healthy items, but when money was short – and it often was – she would fall back on pain au chocolat, microwave meals and frozen pizza.

Have you heard from Zack? LZ 

 GS not today, no

Sigh. LZ 

 GS i got a message from mizar though

Yeah. I got one yesterday, but I’ve not replied yet. LZ 

GS maybe you should talk to him

 GS i mean, maybe hes not completely crazy

With the food ready, Lola organised two places at the table in the dining room and sat down to eat. Her stomach rumbled with anticipation. The dining room was the best-lit room in the house, mostly because there was a big window on the wall that had no curtains over it; something her sister had been meaning to do for about three years now. The table was made of beautiful oak wood and had been one of the most expensive purchases her sister had ever made. She rarely used it though, as they very infrequently, if ever, had houseguests.

Lola missed that about her childhood. Nowadays she never invited friends back to her house, and usually she didn’t get invited anywhere either. The reason she often never invited people was not just because her sister didn’t like guests, but also because she was ashamed, in part, of where she was in the world. She hated the council estate, and she hated living in relative poverty and most of all, she hated the men that her sister would bring home more often than not. Another thing her sister’s drunken outings had taught Lola was that she hated alcohol. She had never tried it, and never wanted to, regardless of how often her sister would press her to try it.

You know as well as I do that he’s unhinged. LZ 

I’m not sure I’m comfortable with chatting to him yet. LZ 

Whilst eating and talking to Geoffrey, Lola scanned her social media in lieu of something to do. After a few more minutes, she heard the ominous rumbling of the bed upstairs as her sister came to. She came traipsing downstairs and staggered into the dining room, staring bleary-eyed at Lola, who continued to eat.

“Morning.” she said, without turning. Her sister, Lianne, sighed.

“Fuck. I have a serious headache, stop shouting.”

“I’m not shouting. Pain au chocolat on the worktop for you.”

 GS i guess thats fair enough

I’m just saying. I want to hear back from Zack first. LZ 

 GS hes not the boss of you, lola

“Thanks.” groaned Lianne, bringing the pastries to the table. “Mother of God, I can barely see. I’m never drinking again.”

“You said that yesterday morning, too.” replied Lola in her infuriating monotone.

I know, Geoffrey. I just trust his advice. LZ 

 GS alright

 GS ill let you know if i hear from him

Thanks. LZ 

Lianne wolfed down the food, and finished at about the same time as Lola. Like a good younger sister, Lola took both hers and her sister’s plates away, putting them on the worktop, ready to be washed up. She returned to the dining room to find Lianne scanning through her phone, a worried look on her face. Lola felt her fear, and knew what it was probably about.

“Did you text somebody something you shouldn’t have?” Lola inquired.

 GS speaking of, have you heard from joseph

Not recently. He’s been kind of quiet lately. LZ 

“…Maybe.” Lianne said. “God, I hope not.”

They sat there in silence for a few more minutes, until the awkwardness became too much for Lola to bear. She stood up, but Lianne barely noticed, so she left the room and went upstairs. When she returned to her room, the body had vanished, and for this she was quite thankful. She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling whilst she responded to Geoffrey.

In other news, the body has gone now. LZ 

 GS well thats good

 GS im gonna go message joseph anyway

Alright. Talk to you later. LZ 

 GS see ya

Lola’s room was much like her – secretive, fairly dark even with the lights on, but quite prim and pristine, unlike the rest of the house. The room was small, but Lola saw it as her inner sanctum, the place she went to for a rest, to gather her thoughts and to spend her time. Lola decided that the best use of her time on this gloomy Saturday morning was to get on with some of her college work. However, barely half an hour of writing equations and information down had passed when her phone beeped again – this time it was Zack, and she grabbed the phone in excitement to see what he had to say.

 ZL Cute picture of your floor. Was there a reason for it?

Do you not see the body? LZ 

 ZL …What body?

In her confusion, Lola wasn’t sure what to say. She checked the picture that she’d sent Zack and saw, to her dismay, that there was indeed no body there.

There was a body, I can promise you. LZ 

 ZL Interesting. Mine this morning was a meteor strike outside my bedroom.

 ZL Unnerving, if it wasn’t so fucking boring.

I guess the fact that they don’t show up on pictures proves that they’re not real? LZ 

 ZL ‘Course, but we already knew they weren’t. I’m just messaging Raziel about it now.

 ZL Have you spoken to Mizar?

Geoff asked the same thing. Not yet, no. LZ 

I will do when I’m ready to. LZ 

 ZL Eh, that’s good enough for me.

So, what has this ‘Raziel’ said? LZ 

 ZL Some weird stuff. Gonna talk to Cass about this, I think.

 ZL Perhaps she has a better understanding of it.

Alright. LZ 

 ZL I’ll let you know what happens.

OK, Zack. Talk to you later. LZ 

With nothing left to do but wait, Lola continued to do her college work. She knew that Zack would get back to her as soon as possible; he always did.