Zodiac Girls

Post exam cram, I found myself wandering through the streets of my college town and the neighboring town for sustenance. All of the essays, flash cards, and review sheets left me with an empty feeling that only a deep fried meal could fill. Moe’s Diner’s bright neon sign featuring an old school Chevy Bel Air drew me in. I pulled up to the late-night diner near my apartment, tires crunching on the gravel in the parking lot. Through the window, the open sign flashed in red in blue, and as I pushed the door open, the bell immediately chimed. The scent of burgers, fries, and warm maple syrup flooded my nose making my mouth water.

I rounded the corner and was abruptly embraced by a red haired girl maybe an inch or two shorter than me. The girl was welcoming and smelled of warm sage and honey; a stark contrast to the thick, greasy atmosphere. She gently grasped my shoulders, pushing me away at arm’s length. The freckles that sprawled across her face resembled some sort of constellation. She grinned at me with flawlessly white teeth. If this were a cartoon I’m sure they would have sparkled.

“Hi, Elliot!” She said excitedly, her emerald eyes shining brightly under the fluorescents. I squinted at this stranger and rubbed my temples, trying to determine if I knew her somehow. Maybe we had a class together and I just didn’t recognize her, but I think I would remember someone as curious as her. Her arms swung down at her sides causing her knee-length yellow dress to cling to her body. A necklace with a peculiar m-shaped symbol sat at the top of her cleavage. She seemed to emit a subtle golden glow. I blinked a few times and the light was gone; all of the studying for my midterms must have gotten to me.

I smiled a half-smile. “Hey...” I said as I slid into the red vinyl booth, shrugging off the ghost of her touch that lingered on my shoulders.

“Virginia,” she said, biting her lip like someone who Googled how to flirt.

“Virginia,” I nodded.

She decided to take a seat across from me, her scent drifting over to my side of the booth. Virginia twirled her shiny cherry tresses between her neatly manicured fingers. She attempted to make small talk. She asked me about my classes. She complimented my outfit, my hair, my lips. I was too drained for conversation, much less one of this flirtatious nature.

“Virginia, I’m sorry, but I just came here to eat. It’s been a long day, and I am very tired. Maybe we could talk another time.”

She bit her lip and slid a napkin over with her phone number already written on it like she was prepared for this exact moment. I took the napkin and stuffed it into my jacket pocket out of courtesy. I doubt I would be texting her later.

I grabbed a menu and scanned the remainder of the restaurant. To my dismay, there were about a half dozen or more girls seated around me with variations of red hair, necklaces with a symbol unique to them, and sequences of freckles artfully sprawled across their cheekbones. I wondered if this was a group of siblings and they had their own show on TLC. I continued to browse the menu and my phone, attempting to avoid any further interaction with her. I was drained and my introverted self wasn’t able to process this encounter.

The waitress stopped at my table to take my order. Her baby pink uniform read “Nova” in cursive letters. Nova and I were familiar with each other, and not just because I was in the diner a handful of times a week, but because I had been dating her twin sister Elara since the beginning of summer.

Thankfully, Nova didn’t resemble the sextuplets that populated the diner. She swiped her brown silky ringlet bangs with her pen and pursed her lips, glancing at the others and back to me. Our brown eyes met, and in those few seconds, a whole wordless conversation took place.

Dude, who are those girls? Have you ever seen them before?

I have no idea. This is the first time they’ve been here, and they’ve been here for hours.

They all look so much alike.

I know they do, it’s the weirdest thing.

Super weird.

Nova gulped and faked a smile. “Can I grab you anything?” she asked while holding her notepad and pen close to her chest. I requested my usual chicken tenders with hot mustard, seasoned waffle fries, and a strawberry shake. Nova slipped her notepad into her apron and stuck her pen behind her ear without writing anything down.

Two of the redheads stood in front of the vintage walnut jukebox. The lights around it flashed the colors of the rainbow as they sifted through the albums. My stomach rumbled loudly over “No Matter What Sign You Are” by Diana Ross and The Supremes that vibrated over the staticy speakers.

Virginia and one of the girls she called Liberty whispered quietly back and forth from the corner table. They giggled between glances at me as I scratched my head in discomfort, attempting to wedge a curtain of my blonde waves in front of my face. Virginia’s cheeks flashed a warm rosy color and her slender fingers rippled through the air. I didn’t wave back.

I managed to break the hold of her gaze. I heard a pound on the table and a glass clink. I looked over to see Cola-Cola fizzling all over the reflective surface. Again, if this were a cartoon, I think steam would have sprouted from her ears like a train whistle.

Nova served me my order and tried to make small talk with the curious girls that had been lingering at Moe’s. They didn’t have a single plate of food in front of them. There was only an empty basket of fries and a lonely cup of Cola-Cola that had been refilled three times since I had been here.

I carefully dipped each of my fries into my shake. I could feel the brain freeze ignite at the base of my skull and slowly spread to my temples. However, this wasn’t like any brain freeze I’d ever felt before. It was sharper and more intense. I rubbed the space between my eyebrows to try to ease the pain, but it only grew worse.

As I looked up, I met eyes with Virginia who was now sitting across from me, observing me. She flashed her dazzling teeth and placed her hands on mine.

“Not feeling so well there, Elliot? Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked slyly.

I was now gently swaying in my seat, my vision foggy. I blinked a few times, trying to clear away the haze. It seemed as if her golden glow had returned, but I couldn’t be sure.

“N-no I’m good. It’s just--” before I could finish my sentence, I was facedown on the cool linoleum floor. My body began to convulse and everything went black. Rapid conversation and footsteps flurried around me.

“Liberty, help me lift her up. I want to get her into the car before the waitress comes back.”

“If you’re sure this is the one you want...”

“Sure?” Virginia scoffed, “I’m more sure about this than you are about than anything you’ve ever been in your life.”

“Just stop fighting and hurry up. This won’t look so good if someone walks in,” a third voice chimed in.

“Nobody asked you, Gemma.” Liberty sighed.

“Wait, where did she go?” Virginia growled.

“Are you dense? She’s right there,” Liberty said.

“No, she’s gone,”

“Jesus Christ, she probably got away while the two of you were fighting!” Gemma chimed in.

My body had stopped quivering now. The pain in my skull persisted and my vision was dim. I was freezing. I tried to blink the black spots away, but they continued to float around. Things started to become more clear as I lay sprawled out on the floor. I realized I was inside some sort of freezer, completely unsure of how I got there. Maybe they dragged me in here? I heard footsteps outside of the door. They were getting louder and louder and my ears began to ring as they approached. Was I kidnapped? Were they taking me to sell on the black market? So many thoughts swirled through my mind as the door was opened. Crumbs smushed under my palms as I began to scramble back against the shelves behind me. There was nowhere for me to go. Bright fluorescent light poured in and met my face with a subtle warmth that began to bring me back to life.

I stopped breathing with anticipation. I looked up, and as the black dots faded I saw Alejandro, the cook at Moe’s, standing there with a crate of some sort of veggies—which he promptly dropped when he noticed me. I started breathing again once I saw it wasn’t Virginia or anyone with red hair for that matter. He ran over and kneeled down at my side.

“My god, are you okay?” I let out a small grunt to somehow signify yes and no. In one steady motion he slung me over his shoulder and carried me out of the refrigerator, which if it were me, it surely would have taken out my prematurely aged knees. The door to the kitchen swung open and Nova stepped inside. She glanced at me, perplexed.

She turned her head towards the dining area and back at me. “I thought you left...” She questioned as Alejandro handed me a glass of water. I tried to drink, but I began to slump over. They both instinctively caught me.

I shook my head and pointed towards the door.

It was them. I attempted to urge her, but I wasn’t sure if my face was moving the way it should be.

She immediately directed Alejandro to tell Virginia and her friends (or sisters?) that if they were going to stay they needed to buy something. I pressed the ice water to my head as the door’s bell dinged, signaling that they were leaving and I could relax. I watched as Nova and Alejandro quietly bickered in the opposite corner as he fiddled with several containers of spices.

“So, you guys are a thing now?” I coughed out.

Nova sighed, “Half dead and that’s the first thing you say?” She half-laughed, half-snapped. “And, yes.”

Alejandro approached me with a mug full of a mystery liquid. “Here,” he said. “Drink this. It will make you feel better. My grandmother’s recipe.

I nodded my head in thanks as I croaked out, “Should we go to the police?”

Before I could get an answer or finish the hangover cure, there was a knock on the exit door. I jumped. Nova lifted me up by my armpits and shoved me into the pantry gently as she could. Through the crack, I could see Alejandro open the door. Three of the redheads appeared in the dimly lit alleyway. From what I could tell, it wasn’t Virginia or Liberty. I couldn’t make out their conversation, but he motioned them inside. I could feel my heart trying to break free of my ribcage.