Another gasp resounds. But it doesn’t belong to the girl. Oh no. Ms Pink has whirled around and is looking right at me, her eyes flashing shades of pink. Shades of pink? I am confused. I am also embarrassed for crashing into what is obviously not meant for the eyes of an outsider.

“I-I’m sorr—”

Ms Pink is beside me before I can even get my second word out, pushing me into the room. The door slams shut behind me and Ms Pink’s no-longer-flashing pink eyes are burning deep into mine, pressing my back into the door without laying a single finger on me. Holy spooks. What just happened?

The sound of a throat clearing breaks the spell.

“You didn’t tell me you have someone else coming over tonight.” It’s the girl. The girl who was held against the wall. She is currently reclining against the couch instead and she doesn’t look frightened or angry despite the situation she was in just a moment ago. How strange.

“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know she was coming.”

“Oh, really.”

I watch with interest as Ms Pink stares at the girl. The girl, or should I say woman, stares back at her, unperturbed. Wow, this woman must be quite a character herself if she isn’t intimidated by Ms Pink. And her appearance backs my hypothesis up too. Wavy black hair fall around a face that looks like it has been chiselled to perfection. Her eyes arch up at the ends, reminding me of leopards…cheetahs…predators mainly. The blood red of her lips are geared to mesmerize, just like her poise, ready to pounce at a moment’s notice. Yes, it doesn’t take me more than a second to realize how alluring she is.

Is she a famous designer too? Her outfit certainly looks unusual. Well, her white sleeveless top and black satin shorts are normal enough. It’s the curious black contraption hanging over her body that’s weird. It has suspender-like straps over her shoulders and more straps criss-crossing her chest. I find it quite…, to be honest.

Ms Pink must have won the stare-off while I checked out the woman because she looks away and throws her arms up.

“Alright, I get it. I’ll make myself scarce.” The woman stands with the grace of a snake and treats me to a soul-shrinking frown. “I’ll see you again, some other day.” She tosses her head, flipping her hair over her shoulder and glares at me. “Now, get out of my way.”

Her voice slides down my body like an ice cube, freezing me up. I want to move but my legs refuse to do my bidding. What is happening here?

“Scram, girl,” she almost growls as she shoves me away. I stumble and can feel myself falling but arms catch me and save me from an unpleasant meeting with the stone cold floor below. I blink, finding myself in the arms of Ms Pink, her face a mere inch from mine. Her lips are parted, her breath warm on my lips. I shiver despite the warmth as she props me back up on my feet.

“Yuri!” she calls and dashes out the door left open by the scary woman. Yuri? Is that the woman’s name? It must be.

Ms Pink is back in the room, shutting the door before I can even get to the door to see what’s going on. Just how is that possible? Is she The Flash or something?

“You’re back,” I say, feeling stupid the moment the words leave my mouth.

“Why didn’t you text me?”

I’m not sure I like the way Ms Pink is walking towards me, one leg at a time, her body stiff like a metal rod. By instinct, I inch back each time she nears but I run out of space and luck when the back of my legs tell me I’ve backed into the couch. Uh oh.

Her eyes gleam like a cat’s eyes in the dark and I can swear that a shade of pink is in there, somewhere. She smiles but I’m not comforted by the pseudo-friendly gesture. Instead, another ice-cold sensation trickles down from head to toe. This can’t be good for my heart.

“I don’t like to ask the same question twice,” Ms Pink leans over me as I fall back on the couch, “so don’t make me ask you again.”

“I-I f-for-g-got…”

Ms Pink’s eyes narrow into slits and she leans so close to me that I can see the pores on her face. They are fine, tiny pores. “You forgot. You. For-got.”

I close my eyes and pray hard I don’t end up held against the wall like the scary woman was. What was her name? Right. Yuri. Hm, I think I need to do something about my memory.

A snort startles me into opening my eyes. Ms Pink is still crouched over me, hands caging me on each side. “Humans. S