Esper Chapter 3: Lost in thought

Part 1

Halted outside the front door; Nicolaus Thompson prepared to enter his apartment. Dreading whatever secret his sister, Daniella withheld, left the pessimist thinking up dismal scenarios. (First, mental preparation, then deep breaths, and finally, clench your teeth and take the plunge…or not.) He paced on the landing outside of his dwelling for minutes, wondering what could be awaiting him on the other side of that door. It continued for a bit until a rather tall, Hispanic man walked up to him.

“Excuse me sir, are you okay?” The man spoke with a thick accent.

“Uh…I’m fine. Sorry; do you live in this complex?” Nicolaus observed the man. Tall, muscular, and with thick shinning black locks; the man was fit to be a model! Dressed cleanly, in a gray khaki jacket, slim fitting brown pants and stylish loafers; Nicolaus, in comparison, became self-conscious of his own appearance. Despite the young misanthrope’s anti-socialism, someone as distinct as the man before him walking about would’ve caught his eye. (This guy looks like he has way too money to even be here.)

“No, I’m visiting. You are Nicolaus?”

“Yes. Why…?”

“Yes! I could tell, the way you ball your fist up underneath your chin like… ‘The Thinker’ while pacing; Dani does the same thing.”

“Oh god…you’re Dani’s boyfriend, aren’t you?”

“Yes! You understood fast.”

The door to the apartment flew open! Dani leaned halfway out and locked eyes with Nicolaus, and then the tall Hispanic man, who waved back with a smile. “Okay, so…this happened faster than I thought it would. Nick, Alonso, can we take this inside?” Both men entered the flat at the behest of the frowning young woman.

After taking a seat in the kitchen Nicolaus sighed, ran his fingers through his hair and then spoke. “This can’t be the only thing you had to tell me. I know you Dani, and a boyfriend isn’t so problematic that you would hide it from Mom and Laurence. Get on with it.”

“…” Dani’s eyes tracked the ground, clearly fighting against the growing pit in her stomach.

“Dani, I can tell Nicolaus if you want.” Alonso chimed in.

“No! No…I’ll do it.” She took a deep breath and then exhaled. “I’m pregnant! Surprise…!”

“Ah…fuck!” Nicolaus exclaimed in response! “Why did you have to tell me this? I’m going to assume you want me to keep this a secret.”

“Yes, please!”

“Damnit! Agh…” All reservations out the window, frustrated, the pessimist fussed with his hair again.

“Wow!” The suave and cool-headed Alonso said. “You two are so much alike.”

“Not now, Alonso.” Dani shushed him.

“I’m even more confused than before. I’ve got so many questions. Why are you here? Why tell me? Is this guy the reason that you've not been home in so long? No offense, Alonso. Most of all, why in God’s name are you still smoking?!”

“Hang on, Nick. I did stop smoking! I just put a cigarette in my mouth by mistake now and again.”

“Okay, what about everything else?”

“I came here to check on you; that part is legit. The reason I’m telling you is… so maybe you can help me and Alonso tell Mom and Laurence. Also, no; it’s not because of Alonso that I’ve been away all this time. That, I’ll get into later.”

Just then Nicolaus’s phone rang. Despite it being an unknown number, he had a feeling it was the police. He walked over to the bathroom and shut the door behind him, leaving his sister and her soon to be baby-daddy alone. On the other side of the phone an officer spoke to him, requesting a meeting down at the station as soon as possible. He agreed, hung up, then attempted to call Vernon. The call was forwarded to voice mail, so Nicolaus sent him a text message instead. Once finished, he exited the bathroom and relayed the information with the two who he left waiting.

“I’ll drive you there!” Dani offered.

“No. I’m fine. I’ll be back soon.”

“No you don’t!” Dani got up, grasping at Nicolaus’s arm! “You’ve still got my keys, so I’m going to assume you’re going to try and take my car. That’s not happening again! Last time, I had no idea where you were all night! You want to go without taking a bus, then Alonso and I are going to drive you.”

“Why?”

“We need to pick up some things from the hardware store anyway. Alonso is really good with his hands and he’s really strong, right babe?”

“She is very nice, I’m average.” A modest reply from Alonso.

With a sigh, Nicolaus gave, in seeing that he was fighting a losing battle.

They all piled into Dani’s car and drove downtown towards the police station. Along the way Alonso and Dani sung along to a song on the radio, one such activity that Nicolaus, as a modern-day hermit, loathed. Ignoring them in favor of isolating himself in the backseat, his sister began singing in Spanish, a skill he’d never known she possessed which caught his attention. (I guess all the time away really has taught her some new things. Can’t treat her like the same brat from when we were kids anymore, huh. Have I changed at all since then, I wonder…)

“Hey Nick, what’s going on? You’re awfully quiet back there.” Dani turned all the way around in her seat to ask that question. Nicolaus slumped down with the hood of his sweatshirt pulled up over his head.

“I was thinking back to when we were kids.”

“Ah, that explains why you’re dressing like an edgy teenager again.”

“What? Shut up.”

“You’re wearing that same black hoodie you’ve had since high school.” Dani referred to the hooded jacket Nicolaus grabbed before exiting the apartment, as the temperature had dropped significantly.

“I like this hoodie! Also, it’s not the same one. You don’t remember, but you borrowed it back in your senior year when I’d left for college. Then you texted me and told me that you lost it at a concert.”

“Haha…was that what happened?”

“Yes. That’s what happened.” The hoodie Nicolaus wore was black with red trimmings and the image of a red silhouetted skeleton.

“Well, you’re an adult now. You shouldn’t be wearing that anyway.”

“Screw off! I’ll wear whatever I want. I don’t care what people think.” Upon reaching the police station Nicolaus immediately noticed the friendly waitress, Katie Vang walking through the front door. Quickly ducking out of his ‘favorite’ hoodie, Nicolaus left it behind in the car.

“Hey, you’re forgetting something!”

“D-Don’t worry about it. I’m not actually that cold.” Despite grandstanding, the thin red tee-shirt Nicolaus wore wasn’t enough for the sub fifty-degree temperature. He rushed into the station leaving Dani chuckling in the passenger seat.

“You and your brother have a nice relationship.”

“Being apart so long made things… whatever, let’s hurry before the store closes, Alonso.”

Part 2

People hastily scurried about the station! A rather long and imposing line at the front stretched across the entrance way. From criminals being arrested to the average-joe in need of help, the sea of people frantically shifting, bumping into and dashing by Nicolaus, choked him with unease. A few officers hurried past not giving him a chance to ask anything, only furthering the young man’s frustration. With no assistance from the staff, officers, or other civilians, Nicolaus pessimistically dropped his shoulders and stood in the middle of the chaos, totally lost.

“Kid! You, over there!” An old police officer called out! “Come here!” The officer wrapped his arm around Nicolaus’s neck and whisked away from the crowd!

“Did I do something wrong?”

“What? No. You don’t remember me?” The spiky haired misanthrope quizzically tilted his head. The officer was a rugged older white man with graying black hair. He exaggeratedly sighed at the young man’s obvious confusion. “Tobias Bennet, I’m the detective from the hospital! Raquel is going to get on me for forgetting to lead with that, again.” It hit Nicolaus suddenly! The Officer did in fact leave his name, but upon hearing people from the incident were dying, every subsequent detail went over his head.

“You really should’ve led with your name. Sorry, all the same.”

“Don’t apologize! It’s my fault for not being on my game. Anyway, you’re trying to find out where to go, right? Follow me. You’re scheduled to meet with me and my partner.” Detective Bennet led Nicolaus through the police station. Tobias Bennet, despite having the features of a man in his fifties did not have any of the mannerisms associated with said age. His posture was good; he didn’t grumble when he spoke and was generally pleasant. “Alright kid, wait here. We’ve got one of your friends in there.” The old Detective left his nervous guest behind, seated outside of the interrogation room, with an unfamiliar woman’s stern voice escaping just before the door shut.

After sending a text message to the group about waiting to meet with the police, Nicolaus looked around for Katie. He hadn’t seen her since entering the station, so he assumed she was getting interrogated. Time passed as Nicolaus waited, until the door opened, and Katie exited. When she laid eyes on him, she smiled. “Spike, thank God! I thought they were just bringing me in.”

“What did they say to you?” Before Katie could reply a young woman around their age interjected!

“Mr. Thompson, you can talk with her later. If you would…this way, please.” She physically pulled Nicolaus away from Katie leaving his question unanswered. He was sat down at a table in the interrogation room. It was at that point Nicolaus’s anxiety bubbled over.

(Dammit. My stomach is doing flips! Do they know about what happened last night? Are they going to question me? That would make sense since they wouldn’t let me talk to Katie. They don’t want us to corroborate our stories.) His mind continued to race until Officer Bennet entered the room followed by the female officer from before. Her physical build betrayed the common female cop stereotype. She wasn’t very tall and didn’t look muscular at all. With her gray eyes contrasting her light brown skin, sporting an all-burgundy pants suit with black boots, and neatly cut shoulder length black curls; the woman looked more like a normal girl in Nicolaus’s eyes than an investigator.

“I’m Raquel Childs - Detective Raquel Childs. I believe you know my partner, Tobias Bennet…” The lady detective introduced herself as she took a seat alongside her much older partner.

“He knows my name, Raquel.” Tobias said with a smile.

“Well, thank goodness for that. One part of being a detective is being thorough. Forgetting to give out your name would be a huge mistake.” Her words obviously cut deep into the aging man as he began choking on his coffee.

“Um…” Nicolaus drew the conversation back in his direction. “Can I ask why I was brought in?”

“Right, well…here’s the thing…we’ve finished our initial investigations at the site of the incident, yesterday.”

“Oh…” Nicolaus’s heart sunk in his chest. (What do I say? I can’t think of anything! Should I just come clean? No, no, no! If they had anything on me, they’d be way more in my face about it.) Despite Nicolaus’s way of thinking, any expertise on police procedure he touted came solely from television.

“We were told that you and your friends from the incident are being cleared to return to work and school.”

“Oh…oh! Oh! Okay! Hahaha!” Nicolaus started laughing uncontrollably! Both detectives looked at each other, confused about that unexpectedly odd reaction. The pessimistic Nicolaus often had a grim outlook, but when he learned of his actual fate, the tension left his body in the form of laughter.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes! I’m fine! I’m totally fine!” He continued to laugh.

“Uh, okay. We’re sorry to have…frightened you? We’re just very busy right now, so this is the only room we could bring you to.”

“Why are you busy? Is something going on?”

“That’s police business. I’m sorry, I can’t tell you. Here, take this.” Detective Childs pushed a small business card across the table, on it were written directions. “These are directions to a clinic nearby. It’s recommended that you go there today. If you drop by, the doctor will clear you to go back to work as soon as possible, after a checkup.”

“T-Thanks.” Nicolaus was holding his stomach from cramps caused by laughing off the stress that had built. “Um…that’s all, right? I can go?”

“Yup, that’s all kid. We actually need to see the other kids too.” Detective Bennet said, getting up from his seat. They opened the door and let Nicolaus exit. On his way out, Nicolaus took notice of the young chubby Asian boy, Harper Wolf, seemingly lost alongside of an unknown man in the precinct lobby.

“Hey Nick! what’s going on, man?” Harper quickly broke from the man, leaving him alone.

“Nothing, don’t worry. They just want us to go to the doctor’s and then they’ll let us go back to work and school.” They spoke in a hushed tone to avoid any possible eavesdroppers.

“Well I…heard someone talking about the officers.”

“Huh…?” Color drained from Nicolaus’s face all at once. “What…do you mean?”

“I was listening to some people talking on the way in, and I heard that the two officers from last night…are supposedly AWOL.”

“What?”

“They said something about ‘Kevin’ and ‘Niles’ missing. What’s going on?”

“…” Speechless. It was inconceivable that the bodies weren’t found. Once again, the feeling of impending doom crept its way into Nicolaus’s mind.

Officer Bennet walked up and placed his hand on Nicolaus’s shoulder snapping him back to reality! “What are you still doing here, kid? You should get going before it gets too late. As for you…”

“Harper Wolf, sir!”

“You come with me. Hmm…?” Officer Bennet’s attention was drawn to the mysterious, good looking man who’d accompanied Harper. “Uh…are you Harper Wolf’s guardian?”

“I’m actually his father. My name is Calvin Wolf.” Calvin Wolf was a slender, tall, handsome white man, dressed in a brown suit, wearing designer glasses. The idea of that being Harper’s father baffled Nicolaus and Tobias. “If it’s okay, I’d like to join him.” He spoke in a tranquil, yet confident tone.

“That’s fine. Come on, we’re busy, so we’ve got to get this done quick! Take care, kid!” Officer Bennet bid farewell as he led Harper and his father through the station.

Exiting the building, Nicolaus took a seat on a nearby bench, pondering his next move. (…So, they didn’t find them… What does that mean? Did they even look for them? Something just isn’t right here.) Nicolaus was so wrapped up in thought he didn’t notice the person sitting right next to him trying to get his attention. (Could Harper have lied about calling the police? Even if he did, the police should’ve found them by tracking the patrol car. Or those two officers should have reported following us to the ridge. Nothing is adding up!) Once again Nicolaus started running his fingers through his spiky black hair. (I’ve still got to go and get this checkup done, but before that I’m going to text the others.) Upon pulling his cell phone out Nicolaus noticed that Katie was calling him. It made him shutter a bit, but he answered with a relaxed ‘Hello’ all the same, only to be greeted with a ‘Hello’ at the same exact time. A sudden tap at the shoulder caused the befuddled young man to turn and see Katie, leaning in close with her face barely an inch away from him! “BUWAA!!”

That exaggerated reaction made Katie laugh hysterically! “Hahahaha! Sp-Spike, that was great! Haha…”

Nicolaus wasn’t happy, in fact, he was embarrassed. He tried to play it off coolly. “O-Oh, Katie. You surprised me. Heh.” Trying to brush away none existent bangs from his face made Katie only laugh harder!

“Pfft!! Stop, stop! You’re killing me!”

“That wasn’t the plan…” Mortified, the young computer technician tried to get back to a vertical base as he’d nearly fallen from his seat. “At least you’re in a good mood. I’ve got something to tell you.” After explaining what had happened to the two officers, Katie let loose a big sigh and slumped down on the bench.

“That’s good though. I don’t see any problem.”

“It’s a huge problem! We’ll keep talking, but for now we should move. Getting too in-depth out in front of the police station would be a bad idea.”

“Right!”

Part 3

Katie and Nicolaus walked through downtown Trenton, headed towards the small doctor's office known as ‘The Anderson family’s Clinic’. It was sandwiched in between a much larger condominium and a general store. Nicolaus texted Dani, telling her that he’d be busy for a while and she shouldn’t worry.

“Who you texting?” The plucky, young red head inquired.

“Uh - oh, just…my sister. She’s in town.”

“You have a sister? Must be nice. I was an only child. Are you older or younger?”

“Older; by three years.”

“Really? Hmm…” Katie rubbed her chin quizzically.

“What, you don’t believe me?”

“Nope. You seem more like the stereotypical little brother. You’re shy - a bit of a loner, very sarcastic, pretty dorky…”

“Is this just a thing that all women do with me?” He retorted under his breath. “Okay, okay, okay! Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.” Nicolaus reached out for the door to the clinic, but then it suddenly swung open just short of hitting his nose! A very tall, balding, older black man stood in the doorway, staring daggers through Nicolaus and Katie.

“May I…help you?” His deep voice and fiercely unflinching gaze sent a chill up Nicolaus’s spine.

“U-Uh…” Katie stammered.

“We’re here because the police told us…uh…” Before Nicolaus could finish his sentence, the man halted the conversation by raising his massive hand.

“…Come this way.” He turned about-face and walked into the building. A quick nod from Katie signaled to Nicolaus she was ready to follow him inside.

The two youngsters entered the building and were greeted with surprise. The front lobby was unexpectedly pleasant! It was filled with toys for children, the lighting was warm and inviting, everything from the floors to the walls were spotless, and even the receptionist was a joyful looking young man who waved to them upon entering.

“…” Neither Nicolaus nor Katie could think of anything to say. The clinic’s interior clashed with the old man’s exterior to such a degree they expected something more akin to a torture chamber.

“Oh, Doctor!” The receptionist called out to the large man who’d led Katie and Nicolaus inside. “Your Daughter called. She said that the next patients are on their way over.”

“…I see. Thank you.” The man, who was apparently the doctor, reached his long arms behind the counter and grabbed a face mask and white cap. “…My name is…Doctor Daryl Childs…now then. Please, follow me, one at a time. Which one of you…is going first?”

Nicolaus looked to Katie, then extended a gentlemanly offer, allowing her to go first. “Ladies first.”

Katie didn’t want to go with the frightening man but relented quickly. “Fine…” She said while pouting at Nicolaus, who turned his head with a mischievous smirk. The two walked back towards an office that was just out of sight, around a corner.

A call came in on the clinic’s phone. The receptionist answered it, giving Nicolaus a minute to use his cellphone and call Vernon. Despite them being on much better terms, calling Vernon was still, for Nicolaus, stomach churning. No answer, so the young man left a voice mail message and then sent a text to everyone in the group informing them of the situation. Finished, he sat down and just watched the television in the front lobby, patiently waiting.

A news program reminded Nicolaus of the ‘missing’ cops. He turned to the receptionist who’d just finished with his call. “Hey, buddy! A-Anything interesting happen in the world today? I’m kind of out of the loop.” Nicolaus was bad at pretending to be calm, and worse at acquiring information inconspicuously.

“No, I don’t remember anything big. Oh, wait! That one guy running for president said he’d be coming to town soon!”

“Really, that’s it?”

“Yup! Why?”

“Oh…nothing, nothing at all!” Nicolaus started fussing with his hair. (This is messed up. We’re so in the dark right now! I still have no idea of how to control that power from before; we don’t know why the others died, and now those police officers’ bodies are missing. Maybe getting a checkup is a good thing. If there’s anything wrong with me, then the doctor should be able to find it. I hope.)

The waiting continued for around a half an hour. Once the examination was finished, Katie was led out of the office by the Doctor. The young lady didn’t appear upset to Nicolaus, easing his shot nerves.

She walked over to talk. “Seems like some regular old tests, nothing to worry about.” Katie kept her voice low to avoid being heard.

“Good. I’ll be right back, but if you want, you can leave without me.” Nicolaus said, half-smiling as he followed the doctor to an exceedingly regular examination room.

“…Okay, young man…” Doctor Childs closed the door behind them, offering Nicolaus a seat on the examination bed.

“Nicolaus! Uh…sir.”

“…Right…” He replied flipping through papers on the clipboard in his hand. “…Nicolaus…Thompson. I see that you’ve had no serious…health issues before, correct?”

“Yeah, always been pretty healthy. Aside from breaking my left arm when I was a kid.”

“Do you…workout…?”

“Not as much as I probably should. Heheh…”

“…I see. Are you…sexually active?”

“Haha, well…you know…” The unchanging expression on the Doctor’s face made Nicolaus feel uncomfortable. “N-No…”

“…Have you ever…been?”

“Yes!! Yes, that much is true!” Nicolaus jumped at the opportunity to answer that question! “Uh…I mean, Yes. I have.”

“…Ok…”

(Man…this guy is hard to deal with.)

“…Here. Get changed into this…and I’ll be right back.” Nicolaus was handed a hospital gown. As he was changing clothes though, his phone sounded off, alerting him to a message that was sent.

The message came from Vernon. It read: We need to meet up at my place ASAP! I’ve got something huge to show you guys!

(I hope it’s something good.) Nicolaus thought.

A message came across from Harper saying: Just tell us what it is now, dude!

Vernon replied with: Can’t! It’s something that needs to be seen, not told.

Katie joined in with: a (>_<) emoticon. Which made Nicolaus chuckle.

(That girl is way too cute!)

The Doctor reentered the room to find Nicolaus still not finished changing.

“Uh…hang on, sorry!”

“…” Doctor Childs said nothing and simply waited quietly outside of the room. Nicolaus finished and the Doctor returned. He ran through all the normal tests. Checking his pulse, looking at tonsils, getting urine, a swab from his mouth, getting blood, etcetera. “…You seem to be fine. I don’t see anything out of the ordinary with my initial diagnosis. Once we get the tests back from the lab…we’ll have a much better picture, but for now…you seem just fine.”

Nicolaus let out a sigh of relief. In a way, that was the best news he’d received in a long while. “Guess I can go then, right?”

“Just one last thing before you leave…” Nicolaus had already started putting on his clothes until the doctor spoke again. “Have you been…feeling different since the event – sorry I meant incident.”

“What do you mean by ‘different’?”

“Any…changes in diet, or needs, or have you started to feel sluggish, or more tense?”

“Sh-shouldn’t you had asked that earlier?” The line of questioning made Nicolaus feel uncomfortable.

“…I apologize. Now, have you felt different…?”

“…No…”

“…I see…”

Nicolaus and the Doctor locked eyes for what felt like minutes. Neither blinking nor averting their gazes. This went on for a few seconds in fact, until the Doctor let out a hefty yawn. Nicolaus stumbled at the sudden relief of tension in the room.

“Alright…you can leave now. I’ve still got…another two patients.”

“Okay.” Nicolaus left the room, relieved. When he returned to the front room of the clinic he was shocked to see Katie waiting for him. “Oh!”

“What? Did you really think I’d leave without you?”

“I mean; you know…kind of.”

“Wow, jerk!” She said playfully while giving Nicolaus a light shove. “Did you see Vernon’s message?”

“Yeah; guess we know our next stop.”

“Sucks though…I don’t have a car. Are we…going to take the train…?”

“I guess so.”

“That’s really far though…and I’m in heels too.” Nicolaus looked down seeing Katie’s red strap heels.

“I guess walking around in those would be a pain.” (I can’t get Dani to just drive us there. I need to keep this on a need to know basis.) Nicolaus pondered for a second until Katie forced her phone in his face with a taxi service the screen. “Guess that’s the only choice.”

“Cool! I’ll order it…oh damn. I don’t have an account. Do you?” Showcasing an innocent smile.

“Uh…no.”

“Geez!” Katie sighed. “Guess I could call Antonio.”

Nicolaus shuttered at the thought of having to ride in the same car as the girl he’d been turned down by and her boyfriend. “D-Don’t worry about it. Here, hand me your phone! I’ll make one really quick and then we can go!” Nicolaus grabbed Katie’s phone and started filling out all the needed information, even paid! “See; quick!”

“Oh ho…I’d expect no less from a computer guy. Oh, you paid?”

“Well, yeah!”

“Aw…I feel bad.”

“No, no, no! It’s a man’s place! Hehehe…” Nicolaus laughed while puffing out his chest.

“Hahaha!”

Part 4

Nicolaus sat next to Katie in the back seat of the car. He would’ve preferred to sit up front, if not for their intimidating driver. A shaved head, tattoos encircling his neck, and a dingy jacket, the man looked at odds with his kindly photo displayed on the app. Nicolaus, akin to a frightened sheep, cowered away; Katie however, seemed totally calm.

“Hey, Spike, what do you think Vernon wants to talk about?” Katie leaned close, whispering to Nicolaus, eliciting a stifled yelp as her breath tickled his ear. The radio blaring loud rock music in the car aided in their secrecy.

“I’ve got no idea, really…heheh…” Nicolaus scooched aside, averting his eyes as Katie’s moderately low-cut shirt presented her sizeable cleavage. The redhead’s pale skin had freckles, Nicolaus knew that, but he became keenly aware of the freckles extending down onto her breasts as well. (Just back up a little, please! Everything from her looks, her attitude and even her scent are pleasant. I’ve got to keep myself under control. Fuck, why is she so much my type?!) Unable to back up further, as the car door blocked him, Nicolaus conceded to simply ignoring the woman’s charm.

“I guess we’ll have to wait until we get there.”

“You two together?” The driver said as he lowered the volume of the radio with a voice more menacing than his looks.

“Oh no, we’re just friends.” Even though Nicolaus knew that already it didn’t save him from the impact of having Katie state it so bluntly.

“I see. Just wondering, because you two seem close.”

“Really? We’ve only known each other for a little while now. Chemistry, maybe?” Katie giggled.

“You don’t see people get that close, that fast now-a-days.”

“I just really enjoy teasing him, which helps. Everybody has that one special person.”

“Me and my boyfriend were the same way when we first met.” The biker looking car driver’s openness to express himself amazed Nicolaus.

“Ah…” Katie fell into an odd momentary silence, and then continued. “I already have a boyfriend. Though; Spike here is a good guy. I appreciate him more than he probably knows.” Nicolaus wasn’t used to being the center of attention, so he started planning a dramatic escape in which he’d leap from the car!

“Hey, we’re almost there.” The driver pointed out as the ridge near Vernon’s house was coming into view.

“Okay, you can drop us here!” Katie said as she started to get herself together.

“Here?” The driver called back to his two passengers. “You guys sure you don’t want me to take you farther up? I can, it’s no problem.”

“No, she’s right. This is fine.” They both exited the car. Nicolaus turned back and thanked the driver. “Thanks man. We appreciate it. I’ve never used the app before, but I’ll make sure to give you a good review!”

“Really? That’s always good to hear…” The driver gestured for Nicolaus to come in close. “Listen buddy, may want to keep her close. She seems like a good girl. Don’t give up, trust me!” He then gave Nicolaus a thumbs’ up as he drove off down the road.

(Mind your own business.) Nicolaus sighed then joined up with Katie who’d already started walking up towards Vernon’s home. “Now I’m getting nervous.”

“Same. You don’t think that something really bad happened, do you?”

“…Well, this time I can tell you the truth without having a downer outlook. I’m pretty sure if it were bad, he would have told us beforehand.”

“That’s good. My nerves can’t handle too much more. Even with this time off, all I’ve been doing was jogging every chance I got to try and get my mind off…you know.”

“Is that helping any?”

“A little, but…after…that…” Katie looked off in the distance.

(She must be thinking about having that officer blown up on her.) “You and Amala probably had it the hardest among us. With all the shit that’s been happening you’ve been dealing with it pretty well.”

“I’ve got my ways of coping.”

“Which are?”

“That’s a lady’s secret. Can’t tell you. You mentioned that girl, Amala, right? I thought you two weren’t very friendly.”

“We’ve just been talking a little lately.”

“Hmm…” Katie turned back to Nicolaus. “Guess I was a second priority in terms of being checked on.”

“Huh? No!” Nicolaus was confused at Katie’s remark. (Is she…jealous?) “No, it was just that we met up, and things moved along without my control.”

“That’s fine. I'll believe you.”

“C-Cool…” (I thought she had a boyfriend. Does this mean…I’ve still got a chance?) He didn’t want to get his hopes up; however, Nicolaus their driver’s words from earlier replayed in his head, and he couldn’t help but smile.

They returned to walking and finally reached Vernon’s home. Upon doing so, Nicolaus rang the doorbell. No one answered, so he rang it again.

Katie looked up at the windows to the second floor but couldn’t see anyone. “Spike, are you sure he’s still here?”

“He said to come by. I’ll give him a call.” The young man pulled out his phone and attempted to call his co-worker. “Hello?” He said into the phone’s receiver, clearly a bit annoyed as it connected.

“You’re here?” Was nonchalantly said in response from Vernon.

“Yeah. I’m here with Katie waiting outside of your place. Where are you?” Nicolaus changed the call to speakerphone so Katie could hear.

“Don’t worry, I can see you from up here!”

“Up where?” Nicolaus looked up at the second floor, as did Katie.

“Where is he? I don’t see him!” Katie strained her eyes but couldn’t find their illusive acquaintance.

“Alright, this is getting really annoying. Where the hell are you?” Patience waning, Nicolaus was getting more irritated by what he perceived as Vernon being difficult.

“Relax! Just…turn around. Wh-whoa!” Just as he said that, both Katie and Nicolaus turned around to see Vernon fall to the ground with a thud! “Ow!”

“Oh my God! Are you alright?” Katie ran over to check and see if the often-cocky man had bruised anything other than his ego.

“What the hell, Vernon? Were you waiting up in a tree just to scare us?” Though Nicolaus made this statement he quickly realized there were no trees close enough for Vernon to crash land at the point that he did. “Hang on…where were you?”

“Heheh…ow! I’m not that good yet. I guess I was asking for trouble by straying too far from my crutch. Though…she’s great, already got it mastered!” Vernon pointed up, directing Nicolaus and Katie’s view toward the sky. Both were awestruck at what they were witnessing.

More than forty feet in the air, surrounded by nothing but the winter’s gray sky and murky clouds, a single, small figure levitated, motionless. The figure’s long black hair and unblemished brown skin distinguished themselves in the bleak skyline, but not nearly as much as the wafting purple haze emanating from the young woman…from Amala, who was flying.

End of Chapter 3