Amelia sat in the backseat. She could see Tabitha watching her in the mirror, her eyes guarded and curious. The “sugar trap” warning from Snakes seemed to linger in the air.
“So,” Tabitha said. “VIM? Really? What would you even do on a stream? Diagnose sick hamsters?”
Amelia laughed. “Oh God, no. If I streamed vet stuff, the chat would just be people sharing ignorant opinions.”
“Then what’s the angle?”
Amelia bit her lip, looking out the window at Chase. She couldn’t tell the whole truth—not about the bee costume or the clumsy persona they were building for her. But she could share a fragment of the girl she used to be before the world got so serious.
“Cosplay,” Amelia admitted. “I did a lot of it in high school. And a bit in college. Lucy Heartfilia, Nami, Sakura. I had a lot of phases that involved a lot of polyester.”
Tabitha blinked, her expression shifting from skepticism to genuine surprise. “You?”
Amelia nodded. “Once I tried to go to a con as Zelda. Except the costume company sent me a ‘Sexy Female Link’ outfit. I spent the whole weekend explaining that I wasn’t a Rule 63 interpretation, just a victim of terrible customer service.”
Tabitha let out an involuntary snort. “Oh my God. That’s… actually hilarious.”
“It was a disaster,” Amelia said, leaning forward. “So, if VIM wants me to stream, I’ll probably just do anime reviews while in costume. Something fun. Something stupid. Something that doesn’t involve billing hours or clinic restructuring.”
Tabitha stared at her, seeing the “Cardigan Nice” persona crack to reveal someone much more human.
Chase slid back into the passenger seat, letting out a long, weary exhale. “Vincenzo is… elaborate.”
“That’s one word for it,” Tabitha said.
“He means well,” Amelia added softly. “He just makes everything sound like camping.”
Tabitha gave her a confused, flat look. “Camping?”
Amelia flashed a quirky grin. “Intense.”
A mild look of disgust flashed on Tabitha’s face as she looked between the two of them. “So you’re really going through with it. You’re joining the VIM machine.”
Chase shrugged stiffly. “It’s a definite maybe. We’re just trying to stay afloat, Tabs. Life’s not getting any cheaper.”
Tabitha swallowed hard, looking at the empty road ahead. “Okay.”
“Alright,” Chase said. “Parallel parking. Attempt two. Let’s see if we can do it without jumping the curb.”
After dropping Tabitha off they drove toward the highway in silence.
“That went well,” Amelia said, watching the city lights flicker past.
“She drives like she’s pissed off at the road,” Chase muttered.
“She’s nineteen, Chase.”
Chase’s phone buzzed again. A text from Vincenzo: Come by HQ. We need to sync. Bring your A-game. No excuses.
Chase sighed, the glow of the dashboard illuminating the fatigue on his face. “No breaks for us, it seems.”
“At least we know where the brake pedal is,” Amelia said, patting his shoulder as they merged onto the highway toward VIM Headquarters.
Chase just watched the road ahead, thinking of the black cubes and the three-ton anchors on the TV. He had a feeling that in Vincenzo’s world, the brakes were the first things they removed.