A red, 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer pulled into the driveway, the sound catching Umi's attention while she sat on the stoop.

Umi originally had the idea that Alexandra had locked her out. She had been knocking on the door and shouting at the window for Alexandra for about half an hour before she decided to sit and wait until Alexandra's pity level rose. Having stepped out earlier that morning for a walk, she had not realized that Alexandra was not home until the car pulled up; Umi had not been allowed to take her cell phone when she had been deported, and, even then, she was not certain Alexandra had a cell phone.

Alexandra turned the engine off and exited the car. Umi stood up and took a few steps toward her. “You bought a new car?” she asked as a conversation starter.

“I had to,” Alexandra replied, her irritated tone making Umi regret talking. “My Focus is still a black smear on the I-395.”

Umi heaved a sigh. “Yappari wasure was shinai wa ne…” she said more to herself than to Alexandra. (As expected, there's no forgetting, huh…)

“Not only am I not forgetting,” Alexandra told her, “until you pay back half of what I paid for this car…” She jammed one thumb over her shoulder. “… the closest you get to the steering wheel is the back seat.”

“Just half?” Umi asked. “How much is that?”

“The car cost me about four thousand bucks. Call it an even two thousand.”

Umi shrugged and said, “I mean, it sounds fair, but how am I supposed to start paying you? I don't have a job.”

Alexandra crossed her arms and said, “You think you're going to mooch off me this whole time? I've given you about a month now. It's time you supported yourself again. Get. A. Job.”

“Think the local police are hiring?” Umi suggested brightly.

“The local police know who you all are. Whether they'll hire you depends on how many incident reports you've racked up.”

“Well, then it shouldn't be too bad, then.”

Alexandra let the response hang in the air for a moment. Then she asked, “Think they forgot the van you drove through their main office?”

“Taiyaa nirin ga kiete shimatta!” Umi immediately blurted out in defense. “Jiko wa touzen na mon da! Keisatsusho de iin darou!? Taishuu o mamoru tame datta kara yo!” (Two tires disappeared! The accident was inevitable! Was the police station fine!? It was to protect the public!)

“And are you ready to admit that to them?” Alexandra asked. “That you intentionally crashed into their station?”

Umi stared a moment. Then she sighed and looked down at the ground. “Iya…” (No…)

“I'm not interested in what kind of job you find, but you need to use some common sense. Find someplace you and the others haven't trashed and try there. Or maybe find a job in the next town over.”

“What about the city?”

“I'm going to say no because that's a long commute and you trashed my car going into the city. And I'm not driving you there just to find a job. Anywhere else in the county, I'll take you to.”

Umi heaved a sigh. “You sure have it narrowed down…”

“You being here is enough of an inconvenience. You need to take responsibility for your own issues.”

“How about someone looking for a security guard? I think I can manage that.”

Alexandra shrugged and said, “I don't know if there are many businesses around here that employ private security. It's all of you who seem to figure out what locations even have security.”

Umi quickly held up a finger. “Wait, don't I need a work permit? I don't have citizenship here.”

Alexandra shrugged again, this time with a matching tone of indifference as she said, “Not my problem.”

Umi's brow scrunched up in annoyance. “Sandy, I can't pay you back without a work permit.”

“Then no car. You can walk wherever you go.”

“You're being mean…” Umi said with a pout.

“You trashed my car.”

Umi let her head droop and groaned. “Okay, okay…”

Alexandra waved a hand and said as she stepped past Umi, “C'mon, you can use my computer to start looking around.”

“Are mo ni sen nendai no nokorimono na no ka?” Umi asked as she started to follow. (Is that also left over from the 2000s?)

“Monku areba, sassa detteke,” Alexandra told her, one hand indicating the road in front of her house. (If you're going to complain, get out now.)

KER-WHAAAM!! Both girls staggered at the sound of something heavy impacting behind them. Alexandra immediately whipped around to see that her new car had been smashed into the ground, the roof collapsed and at least one wheel protruding from underneath the fender. Both the hood and trunk had popped open, giving the former vehicle the look of a mangled, metal flower of death.

Umi turned to look as well, and then both looked up when they noticed that a parachute was slowly floating toward the ground. The best either of them could see was a small person wearing an orange suit.

“Is that… Kelsey?” Umi asked as the figure attempted to wave at them.

“No,” Alexandra replied. FZHIZZZZZZZZ… Umi jolted and jumped sideways away from Alexandra upon realizing that she had ignited a magic bolt in each hand. “That's target practice.”