“And I’m telling you, Mary & Larry’s would be the best place to go. It has the most diverse menu, and come on, how can you say no to a name like that?” I was growing moderately frustrated and cranky, doing everything I could to keep the discussion friendly. We were sitting in the parking lot of a gas station. My sister needed to fill up and we needed to decide where to eat, which was the impasse that we had hit. Poor Shelly was resting her forehead against the steering wheel, probably wishing she hadn’t put her gun away.
“Look, all I’m trying to say is that, according to reviews I’m finding online, there are pretty good restaurants that specialize in particular foods,” Lori retorted, looking down at her phone. “Frankie’s Chicken isn’t far from here and it has awesome reviews! I won’t lie to you guys, I want to try and impress Mrs. Carmichael a bit. Don’t you have faith in the tourists that review the local restaurants?”
“Okay, but this is supposed to be an important discussion with how you’ve talked about this woman, right?” I asked, rubbing my temples. “Frankie’s is good, but chicken isn’t the cleanest food, even at its best, and you want to throw four people into that kind of greasy deathtrap? It’ll probably end in a disaster.”
“Ugh, fine, you’re right!” Lori exclaimed, throwing her hands up dramatically. Finally glad it was over, I sighed with relief, before Lori chimed in again, “But wait, what about-“
“No!” Shelly yelled, slamming the palms of her hands on the steering wheel. “You have ten seconds to choose somewhere before I flip a coin. Or we don’t eat at all. Then I’m leaving both of you in the forest.”
“I relent. You guys know the area better; I’ll trust your judgment on this.” Lori sounded defeated. Her giving up was the better option when put up against being dumped in the forest. I was grateful because I just wanted to eat some food, though I understood why she would want to impress someone she admired so much, especially if it was really her first real task.
With the matter of food finally settled, I rested my head back against my seat and closed my eyes. It was unreal how fast the day had gone, and it was still only lunchtime. I hadn’t even been awake that long and the world had already changed forever. So many people would never be able to see their loved ones again. Too many lives were taken too early, and there I was, worrying about where to eat lunch. I balled my hands into fists because of the guilt and shame I felt, not even concerned if Lori could tell how I was feeling. Feeling guilt and shame in certain moments wasn’t always a bad thing.
I heard Shelly sigh and get ready to drive us to Mary & Larry’s, which was only a couple minutes away. She was probably glad to be done hearing us argue about the food stuff too. I could tell she was stressed about the whole situation with me potentially having an Anomaly. I knew that Shelly desperately wanted to be right in the test she gave Lori, but it looked like she was convinced. Not the best day in the Harper household, I wagered.
We rode in silence after that. No talking, radio, or anything. Just the sounds of the road and the low hum of the car, which weren’t much. Not many people were out in our small town just before lunchtime, maybe due to what happened in Vancouver. Anyone who had the choice to be out was probably spending it at home watching the news for any updates. I didn’t want to think about any of the knee-jerk reactions the general populace was having about this.
I tried to push thoughts like that out of my head. Thinking about the future was important, but there was nothing I could do about it at that moment. What happened in Vancouver was done and nothing would change that. I could only hope that the future would get better, and not go down the same road that led to the attack, not that I would ever hurt innocent people.
So, instead of dwelling on the negatives and making myself feel worse about everything, I just tried to focus on the sights as we were driving. Most of the trees were naked, and as popular as our green trees made us, I was sold on the naked ones. With night coming earlier in the winter, I always loved how they made everything look like the setting of a horror movie. I especially loved the gray and dreary days with strong winds. An old teacher of mine always called them “howling gale days”, and that was always the coolest thing to me as a child. The weather wasn’t dreary today, but the trees still reminded me of how I would be enthralled with them as a kid.
Just a couple of minutes later, we pulled into Mary & Larry’s parking lot, which they had just gotten redone in the past month. If that abandoned plaza taught me anything, it’s that a nice-looking parking lot can really make a building look better. The diner was old but well-maintained, and a very popular destination for the locals with its rustic charms. Luckily for us, however, we got here before the lunch rush really took off. Including ours, there were only five cars in the parking lot.
After getting out of the car, I stretched my legs and back, hearing a couple of pops from the latter. The cool air bit at my exposed face, surprising me a bit after the heat from the car. I scrunched my face up in response to the sudden shift in temperature, and I saw another shadow dash through the forest, running away from me, deeper into the trees.
I gasped and instinctively took a step back, blinking and rubbing my eyes. When I opened them, there was nothing in the trees, as I expected. I shook my head a few times and looked again, just to be sure. Still nothing there. Just a few birds chirping and a few squirrels running up and down the trees. I could, however, feel the concerned looks of my sister and Lori on my back. Rubbing the back of my neck, I sheepishly turned to face the two women still standing by the car.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Shelly had a pained expression on her face. “Another one, Ethan?”
I gave a weak nod, feeling embarrassed. Her wording seemed impatient, as it usually did, but her tone was far from it. She’d always been careful and supportive of me when the nightmares and hallucinations started. She even tried to avoid calling them hallucinations, knowing how much I didn’t like that. Yeah, they technically were hallucinations, but they had never been severe or debilitating. Usually just brief glimpses of a silhouette that vanishes soon after.
“Another what? Are you okay?” Lori asked, looking confused and concerned.
“It’s…sort of complicated. But it’s Ethan’s decision on what he tells you about himself, so I’ll leave that to you two.” Shelly’s voice was firm with finality. “Ethan, go ahead and get a table for four. I want to talk to your friend for a little bit.”
Lori must not have seen anything that would indicate that my sister was acting in a threatening manner, because she simply nodded her head in agreement. For what it was worth, Shelly didn’t look particularly threatening to me either, which I found kind of odd. Gruff and standoffish were used to describe her, and it didn’t take someone with superpowers to tell when she wasn’t in a talking mood.
“Right, see you guys inside. Enjoy your chat.”
I made my way up the ramp that led to the empty patio that wrapped all the way around the diner. The shiny metal tables and cushy red seats were as well-maintained as ever. They were playing some blues rock over the speakers that were located both inside and outside the restaurant. An odd choice, given the bright and peppy colors and décor that really made the diner lively, though the music wasn’t unpleasant to listen to.
I opened the door and was welcomed by the familiar sound of an entry chime. Looking around, I saw only two other people in the diner, and they were both looking bored at the counter with cooling coffee mugs in front of them. That was good. The fewer people around made it more likely that we could get a nice, quiet corner booth. Useful for keeping conversations private and large amounts of food, if someone wanted to order that much.
A head of red hair popped up from behind the counter, scaring me half to death. I recognized her as one of my classmates from math, one whose name I couldn’t remember. I hadn’t known she worked there. Then again, I hadn’t even eaten at Mary & Larry’s in a good while. Employees would likely come and go frequently, especially with the seasonal shifts changing the number of customers they got.
“Hi! Sorry about the scare, I’ll be with you in just one moment, Ethan.” She smiled warmly before ducking beneath the counter. I felt my heart rate pick up a bit when she said my name, but I mentally admonished myself for being silly. Of course she would probably know my name. She was a classmate, not anyone out to get me. “Table or booth, inside or outside, and how many do you have with you?”
“Uh, inside booth for a party of four, please. Can you make it a quiet one? Got a bit of a headache today.” I massaged my temples to sell it. She didn’t even look up at me to see. Embarrassed, I put my hands at my sides and stood there awkwardly. I looked around at the same sports memorabilia that they had hung up for ages. Lots of black and white, autographed pictures of people I didn’t recognize or know the names of.
“Gotcha. Inside, booth, and quiet for four. Good choice after earlier.” She popped up from behind the counter this time with four menus. “Follow me right this way, Ethan!”
She led the way with a chipper little walk, and I was upset that she turned so quickly that I couldn’t see her nametag. I just awkwardly shuffled behind her, still pretending to be very interested in all the sports memorabilia around me. I really couldn’t have cared less about what I was seeing. Some of the retro pictures depicting the stereotypical fifties lifestyle were pretty cool, so I kept an eye out for those.
Soon enough, we got to the booth, and I got settled in. Not knowing what anyone else wanted, I asked for just a pitcher of water that the entire table could share. I saw that her name was Andrea, and I made a mental note of that in case it ever came up. She brought the water to the booth and when she was leaving, I noticed that the TV was playing news about the attack, albeit with no sound.
I struggled to read the captions from so far away, so I had to settle for the large text that the channel occasionally rolled by. From what I could tell, at least two hundred were confirmed dead, a figure that made a pit open in my stomach. At least two hundred people that would never get to go home again. All their loved ones were left grieving for them. And, as expected, they had no information about the attackers beyond what we saw on television. No idea what they could do or why they could do it. Everyone involved in the newscast looked scared, something I’d never really seen from people in that field. Even during the biggest tragedies, they always seemed to maintain their composure and professionalism. Then again, I guess what happened to Vancouver wasn’t just a “normal” tragedy.
Why do they keep showing these things? There aren’t any updates, you’re just putting more fear into everyone.
My thoughts were interrupted by a hand in my face and a female’s voice that I didn’t recognize.
“Hello, Mr. Harper. I’m Abigail Carmichael, but I insist that you call me Mrs. Carmichael in the future.”
I was so focused on the TV that her sudden appearance made me jump in my seat a little. If she was surprised, happy, or angry at my reaction, Mrs. Carmichael’s face didn’t betray anything. She was as calm and collected as McLeod was when he was talking to the world. Her posture and confidence looked unshakeable, and I could understand why Lori wanted to impress her. Being the teacher’s pet that I was, I would have wanted to impress her even if I didn’t get those vibes from her.
“Hi, I’m Ethan, but you knew that. It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Carmichael.” I managed to get everything out with minimal stuttering, sticking my hand out to return her handshake. Her hands were smaller than mine, but her grip was firm. She really did not show any kind of weakness.
She gave a brief nod before sliding into the opposite side of the booth from myself, Lori taking her spot next to her. “It’s always a pleasure to meet a new superhuman, even if you don’t know what your Anomaly is yet. Now, I’m sure Loriana has informed you of this, but my goal is to get you to join us at Luna, and I will do as much as I can to make that goal a reality.”