Wednesday

“This wasn´t an accident. I think… I think those wasps were after us. Specifically.”

We were sitting at a little coffee shop, enjoying breakfast. People gave us weird looks, but how could they not? I was going barefoot and wearing booty shorts with pajama tops. Annie was likewise wearing her jammies and some flip-flops.

Compared to everyone else here, we might as well look like paupers. And considering that our reputation preceded us... Well, there was no way we weren´t going to attract attention.

I swear I packed more clothes; had they disappeared?

“I think the idea has merit… but I can´t think of any way for anyone to train wasps to attack other people at will.” Annie took a sip out of her apple juice carton. I swear, this girl is plucked straight from a cartoon. “…what if ...someone laced our drinks with pheromones that attracted them?”

“No, that´s stupid.” I took a sip of my black coffee. A real drink for actual adults. “I think the wasps were drones. They were buzzing too loudly for a common bug.”

“Drones?” Annie raised an eyebrow. “Like the ones the magicia-”

“Excuse me, losers?” A familiar redhead interrupted us. The one from the half-finished bakery, and the one cackling at the picnic grounds. She was pouting, her hands on her hips. Her gray eyes travelled the span of our bodies, stopping under the table. Did she appreciate my thunder thighs?

“Yes, err, miss? What can we do for you?” Annie replied.

“Cordelia is my name, and you can help me by obeying the rules.” She tapped the windows at a sign that read “no shoes, no shirt, no service.” Ahh.

“Come on, it´s practically the same as wearing flip-flops,” I said, tucking my feet under the chair. “There is no need to be so uptight about…”

“I AM uptight because this is MY restaurant!”

“Huh? Didn´t you own that bakery near-”

“My family owns several things, including the local minimarket. So, if you don´t want to reckon with the police, I advise you to pull some shoes off your buttocks, or leave!”

“Ugh, fine!” I stood and turned my nose up. “Your coffee was weak and your bread hard. Come on, Annie!” I walked away. Annie followed after some weak apologies.

We walked down the quaint steps of the quiet town. The ground was hard on my feet, but not as hot as the asphalt back home. Makes sense, since this place doesn´t get real sunlight. Do the locals really consider this weather hot? Half the buildings and alleyways in town had some sort of giant fan tucked on their corner. They must have a hard time handling their summers.

Well, I didn´t. In fact, I was getting a bit chilly. I turned to glance at Annie and, my goodness, she must have been bitten by the local bug, because she couldn´t take even this pathetic excuse for “heat”. She had taken her clothes off!

“Come on, Annie, it´s not that hot out here, and this is not a beach town. Put your clothes back on!”

“Like you are the one to talk, Laura! Why did you take off your jammies? You’re strutting along like a peacock, showing everyone your undies!”

“I´m not…” I looked down, my green bra greeting my eyes. My lean stomach was below it, and even further down, my black panties. “…I am… but so are you!”

Annie yelped, crouching and running her hands around her freckled flanks to hide her underwear from the old codgers shaking their heads across the street.

“Someone stole our clothes!”

“Look, there!”

We saw a flash of fabric. They were my shorts... flying away?! They turned the corner into an alleyway, so we gave chase immediately, but found… nothing.

The alleyway was empty. We searched the trash can, the giant fan, and even behind the posters for the festival. Unless my shorts had been whisked away to the roof somehow, they weren´t there. Just what the hell had happened? What was up with this town?

I couldn´t find any clues there. I gritted my teeth as I realized another long walk of shame back to the hotel awaited me.

No shoes, no shirt... only my underwear.