It was a gloomy day in sunny Los Angeles. A rather unusual weather pattern called clouds, something that most civilians are not accustomed to. Two of these civilians were a pair of brothers named Riley and Vince. Both siblings were very close in age, and also as friends. Some might say the brothers are inseparable, however Vince secretly has other intentions. Vince is the older brother and has always been envious of Riley’s wife Shea, and his successes. Not that he has ever acted upon his jealousy, but it has always been a present force.

At around lunchtime on this eerie afternoon Riley, Vince, and Shea met for lunch at a local Chinese eatery. The establishment had a rather run down look to it, however it was very popular in the community, particularly for their fried rice. Upon entering, the trio was greeted by the hostess, whose name was Destiny. None of the three picked up on her name accept for Riley, who casually smirked, then continued to walk into the restaurant. He did not think about her name too much, but he did find a parallel with her name and the name of the restaurant, Fate.

Once seated at this seemingly normal restaurant, the party of three began to order appetizers and engage in casual conversation. Once the plates of steaming vegetables and noodles arrived at the table, the topic of conversation changed from being less formal to now being a serious conversation. Shea and Riley shared that they are now engaged. Once Vince heard the words “engaged” he was immediately shocked, but continued to congratulate the couple. Deep down this built up even more animosity towards Riley, but he played a straight face.

As the conversation continued, more and more was covered such as the location and general date of the wedding. This impromptu lunch date was quickly turning into a family intervention. Half way through the lunch, more plates were ordered including an aromatic plate of orange chicken drizzled in sauce, and a plate of the locally famous fried rice. As those plates were devoured, Shea excused herself from the table and went to the restroom. Now at the table it was just the two brothers. The two brothers who could easily be mistaken as best friends. Riley proceeds to ask the question to Vince, asking him to be the best man. Vince enthusiastically says yes. Although Vince said it in an exuberant tone, it was obvious there was a little underlying anger. Riley never picked up on any of this however because he always tries to view their relationship in a positive manner.

Soon after, Shea returns to the table. The three continue to engage in normal conversation regarding the weddings and general plans in the near future. The conversation continues to transpire while the plates of food were quickly diminishing. As the talking, laughing, and eating is beginning to come to an end, Vince abruptly leaves the table claiming he was going to the restroom. As casual as the exit was, Vince did not go to the restroom, he actually went to the kitchen to talk to the chef.

In the kitchen, Vince and the chef were conversing. Vince then expressed to the chef how he had a special message he wanted to deliver to Riley. One would think it would be some sort of congratulation message, however Vince had something completely different in mind. He stated he wanted to deliver a fake message to scare Riley. He told the chef that he wanted to scare Riley away so that he would not want him to participate in his wedding. It was obvious that Vince was not particularly eager to be a part of the wedding, however now he realized he did not want to be in it at all. Hoping that this message would be delivered in a creative and relaxed way, Vince returned to the table.

Once back at the table, Shea and Riley stated they were ready for the check. The waiter came soon after and collected all the plates then Shea politely asked for the check. Moments later the waiter was back with the check and three fortune cookies. Two of the fortune cookies were plain and one was covered in chocolate. Vince quickly grabbed one of the plain cookies, and then proceeded to shift the plate facing the chocolate fortune cookie towards Riley. Riley picked up the chocolate covered fortune cookie, and Shea soon after grabbed the last plain one. Riley opened the fortune cookie and read his fortune aloud. “Life is not a mystery to be solved, but rather a reality to be experienced.” Vince’s facial expression had dramatically changed by this point. Shea then began to open her fortune cookie, however she did not read hers aloud. She looked at it funny first, but then sat there shocked and confused. Her fortune cookie read, “Your life is endangered. Do not say anything to anyone. You must leave Los Angeles immediately and never come back. Again, do not say anything.” As Riley and Vince sat there confused at this startled look on her face, she promptly got up and claimed she had to go back to work. Shea bolted out of the Chinese eatery, which was the last time she was ever seen again.