Hello someone under 30

Velvet rushed down the staircase, through the deli, and out onto the humid street. Fluorescent light cast long shadows from the laundromat adjoining the deli, insects buzzing and dying on the floor.

At first glance, there was no activity on Howard. But Velvet could see groups of people sulking in the shadows, waiting for something to happen.

Avoiding the footpath Velvet walked in the center of the road, where the heritage sugar cane tram tracks stopped traffic from flowing.

Eyes from the shadows lazily watched her, sipping on booze and rolling cigarettes.

She seemed to have a good understanding with most of the Nambourites: if you don't touch me, I won't touch you.

So far she hasn't had to stab anyone, but she wouldn't want to jinx it.

More light illuminated the road the further west she walked, groups of young people quickly moving towards the sounds of Swampland.

Down a one-way street, and through a deserted car park was a small doorway surrounded by smokers. Light and ambient sound spilled out.

Despite feeling more comfortable out on the street, Velvet pushed through the throng of people feeling like a brave warrior headed in for battle.

Inside was narrow, brick walls painted black with halogen downlights pointed at tortured artwork. Formerly the basement of the collectible store above which faced onto the main road, Swampland was recently renovated to house a bar and gallery space.

Exhibitions were generously funded by the local council, which brought a spectrum of guests, including Councillor Smith.

Velvet's water bottle sloshed against her side, thrust deep into a canvas tote, as she navigated her way through the crush of people laughing and drinking.

She felt uneasy, like someone, or rather, everyone was looking at her. But she shook it off. It surely wasn't every day that you could be equal parts intimidated and intrigued by a muscular girl in a pretty green dress, so she cut them a little slack.

Up ahead she could see Councillor Smith in a cheap black suit talking to another man, Velvet bowed her head and pushed through a clump of people, ready to fight.

She stepped out into a small space right next to Councillor Smith, catching her breath and squelching her nerves as they attempted to jump from her throat.

Deep breath in.

"Councillor Smith!" She exclaimed, stepping closer to the rotund man in black.

"Ah!" The councillors face turned red as he saw Velvet, "young Velvet, hello!"

"I've been trying to get a meeting with you for a while," Velvet shook his hand, "but no one will return my call."

She laughed comically, attempting the widest threatening eyes she could.

The man next to the Councillor turned to fully face Velvet.

Her laughter caught in her throat.

"Velvetine, this is Min-jun, I have been hosting him this week."

Dark eyes, black hair, high cheekbones, and nearly a head taller than Velvet, Min-jun was shockingly handsome. Dressed in a deep blue suit that fit him like a 20k glove. His wide smile broadened at Velvet's clear surprise as he looked down at her, hand outstretched.

"Hello," Min-jun said in a thick Korean accent, "pleased to meet you."

"Oh," Velvet slowly shook his hand, "hello someone under 30."

Councillor Smith clapped his hands together, causing Velvet to jump, still holding Min-jun's hand.

"Excellent, now if you would excuse me…" he scurried away.

"Hey!" Velvet shouted, "wait up I need to talk to you!"

She stood on her tiptoes to see where he went.

"It looks like he is gone." Said Min-jun, matter-of-factly.

"Well, shit." Velvet stomped her foot.

Min-jun slid another look at Velvet.

"You're still holding my hand." he winked.

Velvet looked down in horror at their clasped hands, stepping backward, embarrassed.

"Do you want a drink?" he shouted over the swelling sound of the crowd.

"What?" Velvet shouted back.

Min-jun mimed drinking.

"Oh," Velvet nodded, "bloody bonza."

Min-jun's eyebrows rose.

Velvet's face flushed red. She waved her hands: don't worry, don't worry.

They wound their way to the bar and stood with their backs to the wall as they sipped on cheap beer.

"Why did you want to talk to Councillor Smith?" Min-jun asked.

"Pardon?" Velvet stood on her tippy toes to better hear him, his clipped accent falling short on certain words.

Min-jun held a finger up, one moment.

He pulled his phone from the inside pocket of his suit and tapped on the screen.

He handed it to Velvet.

'Why did you want to talk to Councillor Smith?'

Velvet held her beer with her mouth as she replied, much to Min-jun's amusement.

'I want to stop the gentrification of Nambour.'

She handed it back to a grinning Min-jun, removing the bottle from her mouth.

Min-jun frowned, tapping at his screen to bring up a browser, copying and pasting 'gentrification' into a search engine.

The results showed in Korean.

"Ah," he said to himself.

'Why do you care?'

Velvet placed her beer on the ground, sweetly smiling at Min-jun before ferociously tapping out a reply.

Two paragraphs in, she sighed, and deleted it all.

'It's my home, I can't see it destroyed.'

'Nambour needs a strong economy,' Min-jun wrote, 'new developments can achieve this.'

'But at what cost?' Velvet replied. 'No more natural environment, no more cultural diversity, no more small business.'

'You don't know that, it might change for the better.'

'Why do YOU care? What are you doing being hosted by the Councillor?'

Velvet sipped on her beer as she waited for Min-jun's reply. Her eyes continuously scanning the room, an anxious habit.

The mood had changed as people shifted outside to smoke, leaving quiet observers of art and drunk patrons slumped against the bar.

The hairs on the back of Velvet's neck stood up as she did another sweep of the room, something was out of place.

"Here," Min-jun's hand produced a business card in front of Velvet's eyes, "take this."

Velvet took the card, movement from across the room distracting her from the small font.

Someone was watching her.

Smokers returned from outside and the room began to fill again, but Velvet could easily see him amongst the throng of white people.

Leaning against the wall was a man that sent a ripple through Velvet's heart.

True, it could be heartburn from the beer, but this felt more serious.

Shaved head, brown eyes, a strong rounded face with a large, flat nose. Black shirt tucked into black jeans, scuffed boots and home job tattoos lining his brown skin.

He looked dangerous, but his eyes said nothing as they blinked at Velvet.

They had never met, but she felt like she'd seen him before.

If she were air he was fire, sending waves of ambiguous energy in her direction.

She inhaled the last of her beer, choking from the fizz.

"Velvetine?" Min-jun drew her attention back, "did you hear what I just said?"

Velvet looked at Min-jun, then back to where the man was. But he had gone.

"Sorry," she murmured, in a trance, "I have to go."

She thrust her empty beer bottle into Min-jun's hand and disappeared into the crowd before he could object.

"Huh," Min-jun said under his breath, "women don't usually do that to me," he shrugged, "Australians."

Velvet pushed through the bottleneck at the doorway and stumbled out into the darkness of the car park, searching for the man, but there was no one there.

Damn, he moves quick.

Velvet's phone buzzed in her bag.

A text from Mama Thai: Where r u I am waiting.

"Shit!" Velvet took off at a run.

Behind her, in the car park of Swampland, Volta watched from the darkness.

Min-jun stepped out from the doorway and looked at Volta.

"Who are you?" he said.

Volta looked at Min-jun, not saying a word.

He took a step back and was engulfed by the night.

Min-jun shrugged.

"Australians," he muttered.

Velvet ran around the corner and crossed the road, dodging between cars.

Up ahead was Mama Thai's, nestled in a block of ethnic restaurants with flashing neon signs in windows and pictures of royalty on the walls.

Velvet arrived just as Mama Thai was locking the front door.

"There you are," she waved her hand at Velvet, "for all those muscles you can't run very fast."

Velvet doubled over as she caught her breath.

"Sorry," she panted, "tried to talk to Councillor Smith. No luck."

"Ah, you know what I always tell you. He doesn't want to hear from young whippersnapper like you. It makes his balls shrivel."

Velvet grinned, glancing at the empty shops next to Mama Thai's.

"Where have they gone?"

Mama Thai's face fell.

"The Japanese are being deported for tax fraud, the Chinese too," she sighed, "but not me, I do my own paperwork." she smiled widely.

"Geez," Velvet drank from her water bottle, "that seems a bit strange."

"Yes, I'm the last one on the block now," Mama Thai looked up at the giant old building, "I heard they want to buy it up and tear it down for a radiology clinic."

Velvet glanced across the road to the new building opposite.

DISCOUNT 24/7 PHARMACY DRIVE THROUGH COMING SOON!

She rolled her eyes.

"No sign of the scary man tonight?" Velvet looked around.

"No not yet," Mama Thai beeped her car unlocked, "I parked out front just in case."

Velvet looked through the glass sliding door to the restaurant.

"Hey," she waved Mama Thai over, "you didn't turn your kitchen light off."

"Huh?" Mama Thai stared in, "yes I did."

They turned to one another and grimaced.

"Let's go round the back and see." Velvet whispered loudly.

"OK!" Mama Thai whispered back.

They tiptoed to the end of the block and down the long, dark alleyway behind the building. Light falling out from the open back door of Mama Thai's.

"Stay behind me." Velvet said softly as she crept to the door.

Velvet peeked around the doorframe.

A large man stood in the middle of the squeaky clean kitchen, holding a small rucksack far out in front of him.

With a flick of his hand, the rucksack was open and three large, round balls of fur fell out and bounced onto the floor.

"Rats!" Velvet hissed.

"Rats?!" Mama Thai exclaimed loudly.

Velvet turned to her, cupping her hand over Mama Thai's mouth.

"Shh!"

She turned back around.

The large man in the middle of the room stood staring at her.

He turned and bolted towards the front of the restaurant.

"Oi!" Velvet yelled, "oi!"

She chased after him, jumping over the stunned rats as she went.

Her converse slipped on the wet tiled floor as she ran through the dining area, hot on the heels of the Ratman.

He threw the front door open and jumped out onto the sidewalk, unsure which direction to run.

"Got you!" Velvet exclaimed as she launched herself into the air, dragging the man down to the ground with her.

A group of drunk men stood in the doorway of the corner bar and watched on as Velvet tussled with the Ratman.

"Get off me you crazy bitch," he growled.

Velvet threw her bag from her shoulder.

"No way!"

He grabbed her and flipped her onto her side, wrapping his large, meaty hand around her throat.

Time slowed.

Fuck.

Velvet looked towards the kitchen, Mama Thai was down on her hands and knees trying to catch the rats, oblivious to the ruckus on the sidewalk outside. Velvet rolled her eyes, heart racing out of her chest.

Feeling the pressure build in her face, and her eyes starting to bulge, she reached out towards the man. Trying to find something, anything to grab onto, fingernails scratching at the ground as she swung at him.

Her water bottle lay just within reach, rolling back and forth on the ground.

With her last ounce of energy, Velvet squirmed to grasp the top of the bottle, blindly swinging it across her body in the direction of the man.

It made contact with a THUNK!

Velvet's world went black.

"Velvetine? Velvetine?" Mama Thai shook Velvet awake.

She was laying next to a pool of blood on the sidewalk of the restaurant, dress torn, nails ripped to shreds, hair going everywhere.

The group of drunk men long having given up on seeing Velvet get pulverised, were back inside singing along to dad rock.

"Huh? Where did he go?" Velvet sat up, rubbing her tender neck.

"Badman run away, you got him good." Mama Thai giggled holding a box up to Velvet, "his nose went inside his head."

"What's this? Congratulatory food?" Velvet stood up, collecting her bag.

"No, no, rats."

Velvet's face fell.

"Rats? For me?"

Mama Thai smiled widely.

"Yes, you love animals."

"I love animals," Velvet backed away, "just not near me."

"Ah," Mama Thai nodded, "tomorrow's special: Rat Pad Thai."

Velvet's snatched the box from Mama Thai.

"No Rat Pad Thai." She shook her head violently.

"Okay, see you!" Mama Thai jumped into her car laughing.

Velvet blew a strand of hair off her forehead.

"Great."

She lumbered down the road, canvas bag over her shoulder, water bottle sloshing.

Box in her arms, three rats gnawing.

In the shadows of the new building opposite, Volta stood shaking his head, eyes glistening as if they were considering the slight possibility of amusement.

All in a day's work, Velvet thought, you're welcome Nambour.