We went in through the back door of the shop. I looked around as Rainbow slowly turned on the lights and unlocked the front door.

The shop was actually bigger than I thought it would be. The wooden shelves ran along the whole length of the walls and held candles of every colour, scent, and related accessories. Upon closer inspection I realized that the candles were in small Mason jars. A label on the bottom stated that the candles were made using essential oils and organic soy wax. The one I held was a light, calming grey colour. My curiosity got the best of me and I found myself unscrewing the lid and having a sniff.

No way.

I inhaled again, this time more deeply, and was amazed by the deliciously warm citrus scent that flooded over me. I was practically drooling over the bergamot and nearly felt as if I was holding an actual cup of the amber coloured tea. "Rainbow, is this-?" Rainbow stopped what she was doing and came over with a pleasantly amused look on her face. "Is this earl grey tea?" I asked in surprise.

"Well, that's what it says on the lid, isn't it?"

"Ah, so it is." In my haste to be nosy I completely missed the sticker on the lid of the jar. We laughed as I put the candle back. It wasn't long before my attention wavered again and I drifted over to the small round table in the centre of the room, laden with… soap? "Hey, I didn't know you made soap." I picked up a cute hedgehog shaped bar. Mmm, cherry scented.

"I do, but Layla makes most of it. She started out making it for fun at home, but when she moved here we made a deal and now I sell it for her. When we both have time we get together and make candles and soap." Rainbow went behind the counter and pulled out a drawer. She took out a couple of aprons and tossed one at me, putting the other on herself. "If you're gonna be here, I'm putting you to work."

I grinned and put on the cream coloured apron. "I'd love to help! What d'you want me to do?" Rainbow indicated for me come behind the counter as well.

"See these boxes? They've got candles without tags on them, see?" I looked into the box she set on the counter and sure enough, the little jars were lacking the little bit of twine around their necks with the round tags. The second box she set up was filled with the twine and tags. "I need you to string the tags then tie them into the candles, like this." She deftly pulled the twine through the small hole on the tag and tied it around the neck of the jar, finishing with a neat bow. "Easy enough, right?" I nodded. "Good, try one really quick." I did and made an exact replica of her example. "Great, thanks Addie!"

"No problem! What do you want to do when I'm done?"

"Just do that box until the candles are all done, put them back in the box. You'll have leftover tags, just leave them in their box and put them both back under the counter. It'll take you long enough to do, don't worry." Rainbow began to dust and ensure that everything was presentable while I set off to my assigned task. It was fairly simple and I like being able to let my mind wander while keeping my hands busy. I have to admit though, I wasn't paying much attention to what the tags actually said until a few customers had already come in and made purchases.

"Rainbow, why are these 'how to burn' tags? I mean, c'mon it's simple. Open the lid, light the candle, done. It's burning."

"Because there are actually some people who need it," she said with a smirk. "You even would, it seems. You actually have to trim the wick each time you burn it or else you'll get a lot of smoke. Also, if you look you'll notice that there are some 'for dummies' type tips, such as 'don't burn with lid on top.'" She shook her head. "You wouldn't believe how many customers came back with broken candles before I put that in." Wow.

"I see, so it's more of a safety precaution."

"Mm-hm."

During my tagging I also noticed that there seemed to be nothing she didn't have. I found fruity candles, holiday themed candles, and even one that smelled like fresh cut grass. About thirty or so minutes from closing time, Rainbow got a phone call from Windsong.

"Is it okay with you if we eat at Windsong and Layla's tonight?"

"Yeah, that sounds fun! What's on the menu?"

"Vegetarian Chinese. Hope you like tofu."

I tried to hide my grossed out expression but failed miserably. Rainbow took it well and just laughed. "We won't make you eat it, but I'm sure you'll like it. If you don't, it's really easy to pick out. "

"Yeah, okay…" I was very skeptical, but they were pretty much taking me in (Rainbow literally was) so the least I could do was suck it up and try a bit of tofu.

The flat that Layla and Windsong rented together was a studio flat. When I expressed my surprise at their being able to afford such a roomy place Rainbow later explained to me that it used to belong to a self-proclaimed master sculptor who specialized in replicating gruesome murder scenes. He was later found to be guilty of a few of the crimes when he recreated a scene with details that hadn't been released to the public. In order to escape arrest he killed himself in the flat. I was completely appalled to learn this and actually considered faking sick so I wouldn't have to go but tried to make myself get over it for the sake of being a good friend.

"But- but why would they rent it with a history like that?"

"Rent was cheap," Rainbow replied simply with a shrug. The door swung open before I had a chance to truly express my horror.

"Addie, it's so good to see you again!" Rainbow's sister Windsong greeted and hugged us both. She looked stunning in an indigo Chinese-style dress that accented her willowy figure well. Her dark wavy hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, revealing her heart-shaped face and bright blue eyes. Her rosy lips parted with a smile, happy to see us. "Come on in, dinner's almost ready."

The flat was so beautiful I nearly forgot about its gruesome past. The dark hardwood floor reflected the glow of patchouli-scented candles and paper lanterns that draped across the walls. In place of chairs or couches or love seats, large, overstuffed pillows in shades of green and other earth toned neutrals were scattered across the floor. Well, I thought there were no chairs, but after a second quick scan I saw an armchair that looked like it was about to burst. Knowing Rainbow's preference to not sit on the floor, I correctly assumed it was for her. Before I had time to look around much more Layla called out from the kitchen, asking for Windsong's help. She later appeared to greet us as well.

"Hey, glad you could make it, Addie!" she said warmly. Layla was also wearing a Chinese dress but hers was a deep emerald green, complementing her vermillion hair. Her make-up had been made more dramatic with the addition of winged eyeliner and I was fascinated by it. Sure, I knew how to put on make-up and liked to play with color, but I really didn't know how to apply it very well. I made a mental note to ask her advice on it later. "Rain, feel free to change into your qipao whenever you like."

"I'll go ahead and do it now, thanks." For the first time I noticed the small bag she had with her.

"Addie, we've got one for you too. Rainbow asked your mom sometime ago about your size, so it should fit." Okay, so this excited me more than it probably should have. Layla showed me into the bathroom so I could change and I couldn't help but to gasp when I saw the dress. It was a lovely shade of green, chartreuse I think, and sure enough it fit like a glove. When I finished I joined everyone in the living room, where the food had been set out on the low coffee table.

"This is just a starter," Layla explained with a laugh as I took a tentative bite of the salad. "We decided to do three courses tonight; a mini-feast to celebrate a new friend." I smiled appreciatively. Despite not being a very big fan of rabbit food, this salad was slightly sweet with a surprising bite. When we finished our salads Windsong and Layla whisked away the bowls and brought back steaming plates full of sautéed veggies bathed in a rich brown sauce. Upon closer inspection I noticed some suspicious sautéed brown cubes nestled among the veggies.

Rainbow saw this and smiled. "Yes, Addie, that's the tofu." They seemed to find amusement in my hesitation. Layla was actually leaning forward, anxious to see my reaction to its taste. I stabbed a cube with my fork, swirled it around in some of the sauce, and then bit.

It was… not bad, actually. I chewed it a bit more before swallowing and announcing my verdict.

"I like it." Windsong and Layla cheered while Rainbow simply smirked. She seemed to have no doubt that I would.

"See, you can't even tell what it tastes like, can you?" she said.

"Not really. I mean, I kind of can, but I mostly taste the sauce." I was now digging into the plate fully, enjoying every morsel. "Which is also excellent, by the way."

"Thank you! I'm vegetarian, so I like to use tofu to get some of my protein," Windsong informed me.

The conversation flowed fairly well as it normally does over good food between friends, old and new. We eventually got onto the topic of how Rainbow and I met.

"Oh, I remember that," said Windsong as she went to get dessert from the kitchen. "London, oh-four, right?"

"Yup! Your family was on vacation and I was trying to stay out of the house as much as possible," I recalled with a laugh.

"Ooh, I haven't heard this story," Layla said, leaning forward with interest and placing a hand under her chin.

"It's not that exciting," I laughed. Layla seemed to be one who really enjoyed stories though, and I didn't mind telling them. "Okay, well it was the summer of oh-four and I was spending most of my free time - and money - in downtown London. I was in a shop looking at some candles. I went to pick one up but another girl tried to grab the same one. Being the perfectly polite person I am," had to laugh at that," I let go so she could have it. Unfortunately, Rainbow is as equally polite." I grimaced, remembering the way the glass container shattered and how miffed the shop owner was, having witnessed the whole thing.

"We both felt responsible," Rainbow continued for me, "and we were, so I offered to split the cost. After all, 'You break it, you buy it' applies globally."

Layla laughed. "Yeahhh, seems that no one takes too kindly to broken merch. So, was that it? How did that lead to friendship?"

"Neither of us wanted to be in that shop anymore so we left. I was about to go grab something to eat when Rainbow introduced herself and asked me if any other stores in the area sold good candles. I told her, 'No, but I know a place that makes great chips.' We ate and over lunch we talked about stuff we liked and found out we had a lot of common interests."

"That was the year my family went to Europe," Rainbow told Layla. "We stayed in London for a few days and the whole time I kept bumping into Addie. We added each other on Facebook and kept in touch. Over the years we became really good friends and made it a point to visit each other at least once a year."

Though our friendship had humble beginnings, it quickly became a strong and steadfast one. I could count the number of friends I had on one hand, and didn't even need that if I left her and the boys out.

Windsong suddenly burst back into the room, balancing four bowls of ice cream on her extended arms. "Who wants ice cream?!"