Solace did not burn her loafers, as a matter of fact.

Partly because they were too cute to burn with their golden buckles and leather exterior, along with them being the only acceptable shoe she owned to wear in the office. A pair of sneakers would not go over easily with Senator Moore.

Instead, she spent her entire walk to the bus stop and apartment, scraping and banging her shoes against the snow. She even rubbed the soles on the horrid Christmas-themed welcome mat of her next-door neighbor, Tejas Lakmal, a 22-year-old who constantly held parties and was never seen without a blunt in his fingers. If it wasn't for his rager – or what he liked to call small social gatherings – she would have woken up on time. One could say she was petty, but in her defense, she was doing him and any passerby a favor by defacing the mat with a sweater-wearing dog smoking weed.

But the stresses of today were ebbed with a long hot shower and some left-over griot her and her roommate, Emi Kimura, attempted to make yesterday. It wasn't as good as her mom's, but since she was in Portland and lived two hours away, it would do. It was nice having some independence by living on her own, and her apartment was only twenty minutes away from campus. But she couldn't deny that she missed Louis when he barged into her room for calculus help, or her dad's unspoken destiny to make sure she never went a few days without iced coffee.

At the mention of iced coffee, she took a sip as she hunched over the small table of her living room to complete her Introduction to Political Theory homework. As much as she cared for social justice and power, she was going to have a breakdown trying to understand Des Kapital by Karl Marx. Spoiler: it wasn't an enthralling read. More like a total snooze-fest.

I'd rather get shit on by Mr. Moore than read about the political economy and how it's on the road to self-annihilation.

She took another long gulp of her sweet coffee and tied her braids back when she realized she had to start studying before her finals that were coming up in a little more than two weeks. That would be a problem for tomorrow.

"Why do you drink coffee at midnight? This is why you can't sleep," Emi scolded with a small smile.

Solace looked up from her scattered papers to see her roommate walking out of the bathroom with her hair wrapped in a towel and a Fortnite t-shirt. She was 19 and of Japanese descent with pale skin and black hair with her fringe growing out. Their fathers worked together as care aids at Maine Medical Center, and when Emi came back from her gap year, the two of them decided moving in together was financially smart and exciting. Emi was doing computer engineering, rightfully so with her obsession with gaming. It was rare to see her without her headset, screaming orders and insults into the microphone.

"I'm pretty sure it's my anxiety of the unknown future that keeps me up at night," Solace remarked from her seat on the ground.

Emi rolled her eyes and sat crisscrossed on the couch across from her. "Nope, I think it's the caffeine and something about blocking sleep receptors."

"Maybe," she shrugged exaggeratedly, but she knew there was some truth in her own words. Solace Laurent liked certainty. She was never the one to take risks. If something wasn't guaranteed, you could bet your sweet cannoli's she would take no part in it. There were a lot of things she missed out on because of her fear, and she knew that. Hell, she didn't even apply to her dream school, because the chance of becoming an acclaimed artist was slim to none.

"Are you headed back home for winter break?" Emi wondered, lying flat on her back, and played with a plush elf she had put on display a few days prior. Along with a velvet red ribbon on the front door, and a snowman piece on the kitchen table, they had their Christmas tree by the television they decorated with simplistic white lights and purple shades of ornaments. It looked bare from their lack of presents, and Solace made a mental note to start her shopping soon.

Solace yawned, shutting her notebook with too much ferocity, and leaned back on the sofa behind her. "Probably not. My family is planning on visiting my aunt up in Montreal, and there is no way my directionally-stunted ass is going to drive through piles of snow."

"You still use a GPS to get to school, and let's not talk about your need to research every new location you have to visit," she poked.

She put her hands up in mock defense. "I don't know my streets, okay. I do better with landmarks."

"Yes, because it's so much easier to remember that campus is by that funky building that's the colour of mozzarella than Brattle Street."

"Don't insult my methods. They're effective," Solace laughed. "But before you disrespect my process some more, are you leaving?"

"And leave you alone on the holidays?" she gasped as if she asked her to go on a murder spree. "Absolutely not."

"Aw, Ems, you don't have to stay for me."

"I mean, my parents are heading to Hawaii and didn't buy me a ticket..." Emi tapered off with a spiteful look at the ice crystalized on the window, obstructing the view of the snow. "But even if they had, I would never go without you."

"Uh-huh, that sounds so convincing."

"I'm so sick of the snow," exclaimed Emi, flailing her limbs in distress, her wet hair falling out of her towel. "I have a constant runny nose, my toes feel like they're going to fall off from frostbite no matter how many socks I wear, and if another storm cuts me off while playing The Legend of Zelda, I will personally murder the god of snow. Is there a god of snow?"

Solace snorted, stretching the tense muscles in her back and hearing a satisfying crack. "All I got is Jack Frost and Chione, the Greek goddess of snow. May I suggest killing Jack Frost, since going after an ancient god isn't the smartest move."

Emi hummed, sitting up in her seat as if she was seriously considering the idea. "Good point. We could always hunt down the Easter Bunny and demand where Jack is."

"It might be a little tricky since he's probably hibernating, but I think we can make it work."

She gave her a curt nod, her straight face beginning to break from suppressed laughter. "We leave tomorrow."

At those words and the ridiculous amount of dramatics, Solace threw her head back and laughed, playfully chucking an eraser in her direction. Emi wasn't any better as she rolled onto the ground, a fit of giggles and snorts. A few moments later, the chuckles faded with nothing but big grins and tears at the corners of Solace's eyes. She was the kind of laugher where no matter the joke, her eyes would water, and she would slap the nearest person to show her joy.

Solace rose from her seat, grabbing her notebooks and pencil case. "Planning the assassination of an imaginary spirit has me drained. I shall see you tomorrow morning."

Emi yawned in agreement, getting on her feet as the two of them walked to their bedrooms. They passed the kitchen that was attached to the living room, a grocery list on the refrigerator catching Solace's eyes, a sudden reminder it was her turn to go shopping tomorrow. They walked by the bathroom and a closet filled with random objects, like suitcases, an inflatable duck, a broken broom, and a semi-functioning fan.

The two of them halted at the doors of their bedrooms that were across one another, murmuring a tired goodnight and Emi even throwing in a 'loser' at the end, which earned another chuckle from Solace.

She stepped into her bedroom, blindly looking for the lights until her hands met the switch. The green duvet on her bed was unmade and partly on the ground since she had no time in the morning to make it. Her walls had family photos, posters of her favorite musicians and television shows, and a long mirror in the corner. All her artwork was tucked away in the back of her closet, hidden from her eyes. Clothing hung neatly inside, and her shoes placed at the bottom in rows.

Solace threw her notebook on her small desk, fixing the stack of sticky notes and assuring her monthly schedule was properly adhered to the wall. She rubbed her eyes, stars blurring her vision as her penguin-pajama-clad legs walked over to her dresser to pull out her silk hair bonnet. The soft pink material felt light in her hands. As she gathered her hair, a knock on the front door halted her actions.

Solace placed the bonnet on her bed, creeping towards her bedroom door and opening it slowly. She waited for a few moments, her heart beating ridiculously fast. When she was met with silence, she sighed in relief. But before she shut her door, there it was again. The soft tap on the wooden door.

Who could it be at this hour? Her bets were placed on Tejas or her landlord, Malika Baz, a sweet Arab woman who enjoyed gossip and tea too much for her well-being. But even that didn't make sense. Malika was in bed by eight and Solace would know because when they tried calling her for a leaky pipe, she didn't respond until the next day. At that thought, Solace's heart seemed to beat faster as she made her way closer to the living room. Should I wake Emi? No, she could fall asleep the moment her head hits the pillow, and she has class early in the morning.

If it's a robber or a murderer, I'll wake her up then, and we can freak out together.

Her steps echoed in the quiet of the night, and her breathing sounded louder as she stood in front of the door and took a quick look in the peephole. Her stomach jumped at the boy that stood on the other side. How is this possible?

Without another thought, she unlocked the door and swung it open, her breath hitching when his eyes met hers. The same light brown eyes that reminded her of burnt honey, and his hair parted in the middle with strands falling onto his face. He looked just like her drawing, but she got the scar wrong.

It was on the left. How could I forget?

And there it was, the same annoying smirk on his lips, but this time, his lip was split open and a blooming purple bruise on his tan cheek. There was blood smeared on his ripped knuckles with red staining his white dress shirt that had a few buttons undone. His black coat was ripped with a backpack hanging from one shoulder.

He looked just as she remembered, but at the same time, completely different.

"Sage?" whispered Solace in utter shock.

He smirked at her as he leaned against the doorframe, looking her up and down from her blue penguin pajamas to her oversized t-shirt until he met her eyes. She felt a rush of emotions when she heard his voice after six months. It was the same: deep, unbothered, and familiar.

"Solace Laurent, I need your help."

***

Author's Note:

Also, is anyone watching Black Widow? I'm going Thursday and I am so pumped. We finally got a movie with just her!!

Until next time - m.k.t