5.1 - New Mage on the Block

Over the next month and a half, the twins helped Elaina and me scour Ave Strata for more clues on the Science Division. On one hand, we as a group found nothing—no leads, no clues, no secret operations, nothing. But on the other hand, our friendship with the twins grew from viewing them as tolerable, mutual allies to genuine friends.

I had never known the feeling of having multiple people who wanted to spend time with me. Being with Elaina was one thing, but for the four of us to be a group, a clique of weirdos even, it felt like entering new territory. And to be honest, I felt a bit nervous the more I got acquainted with them, as if they'd one day lose interest in even talking to me. But the more we met up, the more we joked with each other, worked together to find clues, and ate together, I felt my caution around them slowly wear away.

Elaina adapted to their unique qualities quite well.

Marc was apparently a history buff, and he was fascinated by the legends surrounding the Supreme Ones and their mythical exploits with their so-called "Chosen Warriors," all of which inspired him and Madi to form a "superhero duo" with their powers. Listening to him spout "facts" about the Lord and Lady caught Elaina's curiosity, while I tried to nod in friendly support.

As for Madi, she was your typical socialite, who enjoyed going out for runs and snapping photos with her highly advanced, and highly expensive, digital camera that she occasionally brought to our meetups. Ironically enough, she happened to be a huge nerd, and, at first, I did not believe her when she showed me a photo of herself holding a trophy after winning a tournament for a certain party game.

But it was on the weekend after our latest Old Canal meetup that the twins informed us they would be away for a while—spending time with friends visiting town in another district. They and Elaina agreed this was an opportunity to try and relax; to catch a break from our shared concerns of Doctor Molecruel's hidden agenda.

But I couldn't shake off the dormant anxiety eating at me. Waiting—wondering—If another incident, an attack, was going to happen today, tonight, the next day, over the weekend, or next week.

I wanted to believe something wasn't right, that something was stirring beyond our three Abnormal brains and one Magical brain, but nothing happened over those 30 days.

Though, to be honest, the time I spent with Elaina and the twins made me consider taking up something I had in mind to try—an experience I knew next to nothing about: grocery shopping.

I chose not to divulge my plan to the twins, because I knew they'd laugh their asses off, so I told Elaina instead.

She laughed at me anyway.

My plan was to shop for groceries in-person by visiting the local Dale's supermarket just five blocks away from Old Canal.

Elaina spoke to me the day before. "As much as I'd love to witness your first experience shopping in real life, I got family stuff at Bethsville to deal with, believe it or not. Stupid stuff my mom and dad need my help with. Should be back next Sunday afternoon-ish."

Come to think of it, this was the first time Elaina ever mentioned anything about her parents to me. Though, it's probably because I never asked.

But I thought nothing of it and wished my friend well over the next week.

"Right," I answered her. "You be safe over there, Ela."

"Just watch yourself, too, all right? And don't talk to strangers—either at Dale's or anywhere else you wander off to while I'm gone, you got me? And you can always gimme a call if you wanna talk."

"Gee, thanks, mom," I rolled my eyes.

We shared a laugh and I felt a weird feeling about her that day—as if I wanted to tell her something else.

"Hey, Ela, um..."

She turned to me as we reached the corner of Linden Street—the point where we'd typically say goodbye to each other after another dine-in at Old Canal.

"Hm? What's up?" she said.

"Um...T-Thanks!"

You IDIOT! STUPID! The voice in my head screamed at me, and I hoped Elaina wasn't currently reading my mind. That is NOT what I wanted to say! Speak from your heart! It's just Ela for cryin' out loud!

Elaina raised an eyebrow and stayed silent, waiting for me to continue. I truly wondered if she was reading my mind, but I tried to speak as honestly as I could muster.

This, too, was a first for me.

"Thanks for, uh...Thanks for helping me out...these past several weeks, uh, actually, it's been months by now. It...It really means a lot, and...we've spent a lot of time together trying to find this guy Doctor Molecruel—ah, Ambrigado—but, um, thanks for...sticking around with me."

Damn IDIOT! I'm such an idiot. What the hell was I even saying??

But Elaina just smiled. “You don’t have to thank me for anything, Jace. Helping you out like this has been, well, certainly an experience, but…I’m glad I…I’m glad that you…haven’t, uh…”

This time, I waited for her to finish her thought.

But Elaina didn’t.

Instead she nodded. “Anyway, you be careful this week while I’m gone, okay? Don’t go blowing anything up or chasing any girls while I'm away!”

"Very funny," I chuckled. "As if anyone would be dumb enough to wanna date me."

For a split second she raised her eyebrows, as if a bit hurt, curious, or perhaps semi-interested in what I just said. But there was no way, right? No way that Ela...

Nah, no way.

"Be safe in Bethsville, Anomaly. I'll see you next weekend."

"Yeah, Vector..."

She took one step to me and was about to open her arms, when I instinctively took a step back. I cursed myself for doing that.

"O-Oh," she stepped back, too. "I'm—I'm sorry, I..."

"It's...fine. It's fine. I'm sorry."

She nodded. "I'll see ya, Jace!"

"Yeah, Ela. See ya."

Elaina turned and crossed the Linden Street intersection towards the west.

I turned towards the east and started back down my own way, when—

"Dammit...!"

I stomped on the sidewalk, wheeled around, and ran back across the intersection.

"Anomaly!" I called to her as I caught up.

I could tell she was already grinning before she turned around. "Oh, miss me already, Mr. Vector?"

"No, I..." I caught my breath. "I-I mean, uh...Do you have a...Um, what I mean to say—what I forgot to say was..."

I balled my fists. Was I really ready right then and there?

Nah, no way.

"Um, just...You have a safe trip, all right?"

She frowned at me and shook her head three times, saying my name with every turn of her head. "Jacen, Jacen, Jacen Jacinto. You sure can be a weirdo, sometimes..."

"Yeah, I know, I know." I folded my arms and turned to my right, facing a café window. Some patrons inside looked away from me nervously. I looked at Elaina's reflection in the tall windows, and she was staring at me with a comforting smile. "Ela, just don't get yourself into trouble while you're there—"

"...But that's why I'd never get tired of you." she mumbled, her voice was soft and low.

"Huh—?"

"Bye bye! See ya next weekend!" Elaina skipped backwards a few steps into the shadow of the café's large canopy and fell back. Her body disappeared as soon as she touched the darkened sidewalk. I watched as the faint movement of her own shadow zipped away down the concrete past people, moving—to the suspicion of no one—from shadow to shadow.

Shadow Travel. Of course.

Idiot, I thought, and only then did I notice the big smile on my face in my reflection.

"And what're you smiling about?" I asked myself. "Actually, don't answer that."

I turned back to the east and headed home.

The last time I was in Dale’s, I accidentally destroyed one of the self-checkout kiosks—a time when I did not yet have as well of a control over my powers.

I probably spent a solid 15 minutes in the produce section alone. I smiled as I looked down at the ingredients I picked up, feeling encouraged that I could pull off the meals I saw in mind. I thought about holding a cooking day with Elaina when she got back.

In fact, I may have thought of Elaina too much, because I was forcibly brought back to reality when my cart hit someone who just walked out of an aisle.

“Oh, s-sorry! I’m so sorry,” I said when I felt the sudden jolt.

The young woman had dropped what she was holding and sidestepped to her right.

She turned to me and, when our eyes met, I tensed up for some reason. I blinked and noticed what fell on the floor—a pack of chocolate chip cookies, a box of cup noodles, and a now-ruined carton of eggs.

“Ah, here, l-let me help you with that…!” I pulled my cart away from her and squatted down to pick up the cookies and box of cup noodles. When I glanced at the multiple cracked eggs on the floor, without looking up at her, I managed to say, “I’m really sorry, miss.”

“It’s ok,” she replied.

Just then, a faint, red aura glowed around the flipped carton and the cracked eggs. In the next moment, they were swallowed up by a mini portal leading down to who knew where.

Magic? I thought instantly. Was that…actually Magic?

I stood up, my eyes still glued to the floor where the carton of eggs had just been.

“H-Here you go,” I said, and I stared into the young woman’s eyes.

Her pale, crimson irises seemed to draw me in, but I blinked and looked away.

“Hey, thank you, Vector.”

“Huh? You...know me?”

She chuckled at me after taking her items back. “Of course, how could I not? You’re, like, the most famous Abnormal here in Ave Strata!”

I sighed. “I…dunno if I qualify for the title of ‘Most Famous’ around here. 'Most Infamous' is probably what you're looking for.”

“You kidding?" she laughed. "My parents and friends couldn’t stop talking all about you and the stuff you can do!”

“I-Is that right? Your folks and...friends, huh? Wow. I’ve...got some fans.” I tried not to sound too impolite, though I probably sounded more nervous than weirded out.

“For sure! They told me you saved people in an apartment building from, like, a bomb, and you helped the police nab a crazy strong Abnormal—some guy named The Rumbler? Yeah! Oh, and recently I heard you drove away another guy with dangerous powers! Like, a speedster guy or whatever! Ah, sorry, I’m just a bit starstruck, is all.”

Who the heck were this girl’s parents and...friends? And how did they know about all that…?

Too many questions flooded my brain.

I cleared my throat. “Hey, um…sorry, what was your name, miss?”

“Vanessa,” she smiled and nodded. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Vector!”

“Please, just ‘Vector’ is fine.”

Great, I laughed inside, now I sound like Ela.

I continued. “Good to meet you, Vanessa.”

“Same here!”

“Oh, I’m sorry about the eggs. Here, I can buy you a new carton.”

“It’s cool, it’s cool. Don’t worry about it! Getting to meet a famous Abnormal more than makes up for that!”

“Like I said I…I’m really not famous, at all. At least, I shouldn’t be, in my opinion. Also, are you…from outside of Ave Strata?”

“Yeah, my folks live here. I’m just visiting them during my week off from college. It’s technically spring break, so here I am!”

A college kid, huh? Shouldn’t she be at the beach, in the mountains hiking, or traveling the world with her friends? Not to be rude or anything, but she had a nice figure with—AHEM!—nice curves. With her pink running pants, beige crop top, and black and pink slides, not to mention her long, blonde hair, this girl fit the perfect description of a typical athletic college girl.

Knowing how I looked, there was no way I had any business standing next to a girl who could pass as a young fashion model. Compared to her looks, I was best categorized as a "low-life Abnormal shut-in who dared to speak to a beautiful maiden."

“…ctor? Heeey…?”

If she was here on spring break, I mean…Surely, Ave Strata can’t be that great of a tourist destination, could it? Maybe I should look into that with Elaina for a cha—

“Vector,” Vanessa repeated.

“Yeah? Y-Yes?”

“Are you all right?”

“Sorry, yes, I am. Follow me, please.”

“Huh? Where?”

“Dairy section. Let’s get you a new carton.”

“Really, it’s fine, Vector.”

“No, it’s not," I sighed. "I caused it, so I’m responsible.”

When we got to the dairy aisle, I opened one of the freezers and handed Vanessa a new carton. She grinned and took it from me.

“Now, we’re even,” I declared. “Nice meeting you, Vanessa.”

"Hey, wait a sec!"

I turned around. "Y-Yes?"

"You doing anything after this?"

"Um...n-no? No, why?”

"Great! Wanna hang out somewhere?"

Oi, oi, oi, oi, oi.

What's happening here?

"Uh, w-what do you mean, by...?"

"Oh, I wanted to ask if you could show me around town! Do you know any place a tourist like me could visit?"

"Well, I...do know a few places, but..." I looked down at the items in my cart. “I'll have to put these away back at my house—"

"Oh, all good! Want some help?"

"N-No, that's all right. I can manage. Uh, but are you sure you'd be...all right being seen with someone like me?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Is...that ok? We could just meet up somewhere when you're done, if that's better for you."

"I guess it's fine, um..."

This can't be real. No, there had to be a caveat somehow.

This attractive, athletic college girl is either a dimwit, a social butterfly, or a new enemy with an ulterior motive. Surely, it's gotta be one of those, right? Maybe all three?

I had to refocus. An outing with a girl I just met? I mean, as long as she isn’t trying to kill me…

No, wait. If I were to presume she was some scary, crazed agent of the Science Division, where would I take her? Old Canal? No, that's already my go-to spot with Elaina and the twins. Plus, Sami's there, so I wouldn't want to put her in danger. Maybe the—

"Museum?” I said the first place that came to mind. “The...Ave Strata Museum of Antiquities. Do you...know where that is?"

"Nope. But that sounds like a lovely idea!"

"Ah, sure, so...wanna meet there in, like, an hour?"

"Sure! My hotel's actually a block to the east down Linden Street. I'll drop my stuff off there, then head to the Museum!"

Great. So she's staying at a place in the same direction as me, too? What is this, a rom com?

As expected during a Thursday afternoon, there were only a few other visitors at the Ave Strata Museum of Antiquities—probably the best of all five museums still standing in the city.

Vanessa followed my lead as I pointed out certain artifacts and paintings to her. As I did so, I thought about taking Madi and Marcus here someday, too. I'm sure Marc would find this place fascinating, if he didn't already visit.

We stopped at a collection of black and white photographs.

I cleared my throat. "Ahem! So, uh, a little history about Ave Strata...The city was founded by this guy—Ricardo Darentus Il'Oviera Ra'mosa. Uh...here he is!"

"That's a mouthful of a name," Vanessa laughed.

"Yeah," I said. "They say he's a descendant of an ancient leader of the Crimson Empire. This guy wanted to make the most 'technologically advanced' city in the world."

"He's got a funny mustache."

"I wonder if he was self-conscious about that."

We shared a laugh and moved on to the Grand Canvas Hall.

"Hey, Vanessa, check this out." I waved to her. "This here's an ancient clay slab made by a tribe that believed in the gods of nature."

"Oh, yeah? Tell me about 'em."

"Yeah, so the tribe lived in—"

"No, no, I meant the gods. Tell me about the nature gods. Sorry, yeah, them."

"O-Oh, right. Um...the nature gods, well...It says here that...Apparently a few of them lived where Ave Strata stands today, but they were driven out after an argument with the settlers from the Crimson Empire. The settlers obviously wanted to build a town here, but the nature gods didn't like that."

"Well, they could screw off, those guys."

"Who, the settlers? Yeah, kinda pushy, huh?"

"No, the gods," Vanessa clarified. "Must've been a bunch of schizos high on drugs thinking they were actually able to control nature. That's so ridiculous."

"I...I know, right? Haha." I couldn't help but feel bad after agreeing with Vanessa, and I felt a lump in my throat after that.

We stopped at beautifully painted landscapes, breathtaking images of bust-up portraits, and even several paintings of just fruits, objects, and even a vehicle or two.

We eventually stopped at one painting showing a depiction of Lord Isah and Lady Anya in all their divine glory. Seeing them reminded me of the painting in Elaina's living room.

I cleared my throat.

"The Lord & The Lady," I read the golden title card aloud. "This is a painting of—"

"Isah and Anya," Vanessa frowned. "Yeah, I know these two clowns."

"Excuse me?" I looked at her, instinctively remembering Elaina. It was as if I felt offended for her.

Vanessa looked at me back and eyed me up and down. "Sorry, um..." She chuckled and pointed at the painting. "Are you...a believer in..."

"Oh, no, no," I shook my head.

For a moment, Elaina's words from one of our earliest conversations returned to my head: "My Magic stems from their power. I am their devoted servant."

I swallowed. "But I...I have a friend who is, though—a believer in the Lord and Lady, that is."

"Oh," Vanessa reeled her head back, then nodded once. "Is that right?"

"Yes," I turned back to the painting. "It is a well-made piece, at the very least."

"Is it, though?" Vanessa laughed. "It's just a picture of two fake people. Nothing special. Can we see anything else?"

"Uh, sure...Actually, wanna see the Waterfront? Maybe the arcade after that? Uh, u-unless you wanna go somewhere different?"

Vanessa giggled and smiled at me. "Sure, Vector. I’d love to do all of that!"