The women had been speaking to her for some time but Aaliyah had been tuning her out. She focused back on the person who just ruined everything for her.

“...I really do love shopping and once again I’m really sorry for bumping into you...” 

She glared down at the redhead's tight grip on her arm and attempted to pull it back for the third time. Yet again, the girl only moved closer to her.

Take a deep breath.

Aaliyah briefly closed her eyes, she had to accept it. The man was gone and she was down a pair of shoes.

On her very difficult task of thinking more nicely of the woman, she decided to call her Red. Both because of the woman’s hair and what she made her see the more time passed on.

“Here,” the woman—Red, handed a slip of paper to her. 

Her eyebrows scrunched as she opened the note and read: painting of a black crow and woman. Just under it were numbers. She looked up from the paper, her dark brow raised, “Why are you giving this to me?”

Red fervently shook her head, “It’s not mine, it fell out of your dress pocket.” 

She stared puzzled at her. The note didn't belong to Aaliyah. But given what Red had said, it must have gotten in her possession at some point. But when and who would have given this note was something she—

The man.

Did he shove past her to give her this note? 

But why? Who was he? What does the note mean? 

“What does it say?” Red asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

She didn’t answer her. Instead, Aaliyah went to put the note back into her pocket when her hands brushed against something soft and squishy.

She pulled it out and saw it was a black flower. Dumbfounded, she could only stare down it.

Maybe he was hitting on me.

Still, she was perplexed by his approach. She thought it was common sense that shoving a lady to the ground was not the best method. But to someone, it seemed it wasn't.

She examined the flower again and noticed the white ribbon tied to it had an inscription. To read it, she drew the flower closer to her.

Black Dahlia’s Poison Yellow Roses

“Ohh?” Red peered over her shoulder, “Let me see!” Aaliyah sighed and handed the flower to her. She scanned the inscription excitedly before her eyebrows were drawn in confusion. “Who gave you this?”

“This really rude man.”

She continued to speak and Aaliyah tried to listen but she could barely keep up with the way she jumped from one topic to another with no pause.

So she gave up trying.

Instead, she focused on what Charlotte had said earlier about the flower 

If she was right, what was that man's purpose for it?

The more she thought of him, the more frustrated she got. So she shoved him out of her head like he had shoved her.

She had things to do. A plan that was currently being set into motion—if her friend was doing his part right. But, Charlotte was her most pressing matter.

It was Aaliyah's rotten luck that she was very, and she meant very talkative.

“...and did I tell you how annoying she was, like seriously she is the worst.” 

Yes. She had.

Why did she have to run into Charlotte of all people? Aaliyah glared down at the black flower. She sighed and pitched the bridge of her nose.

It was all that man's fault!

“...seriously, she wouldn't stop gloating about how good the cake she made was. I mean she got first place but still. In my opinion, her cake was so ugly. And come on, I make such good desserts! I bake, I cook, I have all the skills! Aren't I amazing?” She didn’t give Aaliyah a chance to respond. “Like seriously...”

An excuse. She had to come up with something to get out of this never-ending monologue. A lightbulb went off in her head.

I can tell her I've got to walk my fish! Wait...that didn’t sound right.

Aaliyah pursed her lips as she tried to think of the correct saying.

Dog. 

Right, she had to go walk her dog.

Oh gosh.

She was starting to lose brain cells. Whatever ones remained, she had to save them.

“...the party thrown in Alastor Steel’s honor four…” 

And where was Elias? 

He seemed to have deserted her. She rolled her eyes, what a best friend he was.

“...I saw these two men, and one of them had a cool snake tattoo on his…”

He should've completed his part, of their illegal mission, a long time ago. A spark of fear shot through her heart.

What if he got hurt?

“...the wine…” 

Maybe she should go find—

Her ears perked up. 

Did she just hear something about wine?