Branch
'RE-NO-TEL.' The ringing feels like it's come from another reality entirely.
Look around first.
A few metres away, two girls dance as they've watched their favourite pop-star do a thousand times, their movements perfectly synchronised.
Happy to disappear into the life of another.
Clear skies tonight. Ideal conditions for sharing a cigarette on a sidewalk corner, companions permitting. Temperature 13 degrees and steady.
Maybe it's for someone else?
You rub the tip of your foot against the paving stone. Nobody else seems to notice or care about the ringing phone.
The instructions were very clear: 'Party Alley, West Side.' It's for you.
Pick up the receiver.
You take a deep breath.
Branch
End of this branch