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Renna was used to transition. She had moved around in South Africa, to the States, and then down to Destiny City in her short 17 years of life. Making friends was a process. She knew how to do it. Still, with school still a week or so away, Renna had found little opportunity to meet people through common activities. She had taken to spending her days between training with the Negaverse shopping around town and catching up on her popculture news. There was a particular thrift store around the corner that had taken up a lot of her time. She like picking through the knick-knacks and had a strong love for vintage jewelry.

There was another girl she had spotted picking through the store a few times. She was pale-skinned and dark-haired with striking red eyes. Renna had smiled politely at her, and once, when they both reached for the same black lace choker, the two girls had talked for 30 minutes about their fondness for classic jewelry. After two weeks of these chance meetings, Renna finally broke down and introduced herself. The two grabbed a drink at the cafe around the corner. Renna learned that Ume graduated from Meadowview, and Renna told her about how she would attend Horizon Institute in the fall. It was an amicable meeting, the girls traded numbers.

Renna convinced Ume to come over and watch 16 and Pregnant on Lifetime. Now it was Renna's turn to watch what Ume wanted. She had a bad feeling about it, but nonetheless, had made popcorn, bought soda, and cleaned up the living room of the apartment she shared with Bernadette. Now she just needed her guest to arrive.

The knock on the door was a welcome sound, and the tin of short bread was even more welcome. "This looks amazing," Renna said, peeking inside. "Remind me to cook lavender cheesecake for you sometime. I don't cook too much, but I can do a mean cheesecake." She exchanged pleasantries, helped herself to a piece of shortbread, and poured drinks for the two of them. When Ume first held up the movie, Renna wrinkled her nose.

"I am a chicken for horror movies, but... it's still light outside. You sat through 16 and Pregnant for me. I can do this. I believe in me," she said, laughing. It was a little nervous.

Taking the movie from Ume, she popped it in. The main menu popped up with creepy music. Renna was already a little nervous. Perhaps some small talk would help? "So before I scare myself silly... how have you been? Anything new in your life?" Small talk was a beloved pasttime of Renna's, as was listening to other people talk.

Renna figured that she could handle reading a horror movie much better than having to constantly stare at the action on the screen. If she got nervous, she could just focus on the words. Besides, she trusted Ume's taste. And watching a horror movie was a pretty tame way of pushing her boundaries -- something that the Negaverse was hoping to bring out in her.

"Good friend?" Renna said, hopping her eyebrows up and down. "Who is he?"

Renna loved a good dish session on boys and was happy to dispense advice, whether or not Ume wanted it.

"A piece of hot German was at your disposal?" Renna said, suppressing a giggle. "I always thought the Germans were cold."

Granted, he had left Ume so he might not have been the kindest boy in the entire world. Even as Ume started up the movie, Renna would not let it go on without giving a little advice first. "Look, if he left you? Then he isn't worth it. Anyone worth your time will make time for you. If you find yourself in a situation where someone treats their time with you as a chore, get out. You owe yourself so much more than that. You are a smart girl. He's the idiot if he left you -- to go back to Germany or not." Renna nodded sharply, as if to punctuate her point.

In the background, the film closed in on a creepy house. Ohhh... Renna would much rather talk about boys than watch this. "My cousin disappeared in this city," she said quickly, turning so that the movie played in her periphery. She was still not sure how she felt about watching it. "I'd have to actually meet a boy first before he had the chance to disappear on me..." It was true. Renna was lonely, especially for some male company.

Go out? Like a club? The thought of it brought up a bubble of glee in Renna's chest. She loved to dance -- even if she was terrible at it -- and she liked to sample her mother's wine back in Baltimore. Unfortunately, she was still 17. There were very few clubs that catered to minors in the States. "We should! Once I turn 18. The States and their silly rules," she said. Other girls her age might take a risk with a fake ID, but just the thought of that made Renna want to throw up. Too much of a risk!

The compliments showered on her by Ume made her smile bashfully. "The accent does give me an edge," she said, nodding. It was true. Most people who hit on her did so after she opened her mouth, and usually started by asking where she was from. It was her ace in the hole.

When Ume grabbed some popcorn, Renna did too, popping a few kernels into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully. Eden wasn't a missing person, not anymore. GK Zinkenite told her what happened -- the senshi had killed him. The thought of it brought a darkness to Renna's eyes. Ume's poor cousin had probably been killed by the senshi too. Would their rein of destruction ever stop? Renna hoped so.

"I'm sure she'll turn up," Renna agreed. What else could she say? She didn't want to upset Ume.

In the background, creepy music had begun to play. Renna swallowed hard and kept babbling. "Maybe I will meet someone cute at Horizon Institute? I usually don't go for nerds, but I am willing to try new things."

Renna had no idea what "La Blue Girl" was, but she laughed anyway. She figured it was something nerdy and creepy. "You'd be surprised how many people ask me if I can speak Africanese," she said, rolling her eyes. On the screen, a creepy black swirl of terror was floating past. Renna did her best not to look at it. She was having much more fun gabbing with Ume.

"I tend to go for the diamond in the rough. There are some really great guys out there once you just work through their tough outsides." Translation: Renna liked to "fix" her boyfriends. She tended to pick the neediest, most troubled boy in her vicinity and try to save him while inevitably being taken advantage of. It was true that she had lost her virginity under similar situations when she had JUST moved to Baltimore and, after swearing never to be tricked like that again, had ended up being tricked exactly like that again and again and again. It was a vicious cycle.

The promise of a club that allowed younger people appealed to her. "Well, it might be fun to try it out before school comes back in. Do a lot of people go there?" It might be fun, she hoped. "Maybe we could get some girls together to go."

Judging by the way Ume talked about him, Renna could see how much she hurt over Daniel. However this guy was, she was convinced that he couldn't be as great as Ume thought. If he was, why would he leave her? She was a very nice girl, in Renna's opinion. "I think we could all use a little release before school," she said. "And you could definitely use someone to wipe Daniel from your mind, even if it was just for the evening." She grinned from ear to ear. Casual romances weren't really Renna's style, but she loved to live vicariously through others.

For her own interests, she just smiled. She did hope that she could find a nice boy to date. It had been a long time since anyone had kissed her. A girl could get achey thinking about it. "First to find ANY date shares all the parts," Renna countered. "A bad story can be just as entertaining as a good one, if not more so." Renna personally loved to hear tales of love gone wrong. It was basically the sole purpose she had in watching Lifetime so much.

On the screen, someone was being terrorized by a mysterious presence, and Renna gripped the throw pillow. "Aha, I guess the movie is starting to get, um, good now," she said. Good? More like terrifying. But none the less, they were there to watch a movie, weren't they? It was the least Renna could do to actually... watch it.

"Okay, it's settled. I'll see if anyone is interested in going out this week before school is back, and you do the same. I'll text with any developments," she said, smiling. "I guess now I should try to conquer my fear of horror movies..."