Convergence - The Last Science #2.1 - In Plain Sight

B2: Chapter 4 - Comes the Hero - III

  "It's not that. It's more like..." Hailey trailed off, trying to put into words what she was feeling. "It's like, we had a huge fight and we barely made it out alive, then we had to go right into hiding for months and months, cut off all our old friendships, disappear off the face of the earth. I wasn't really crazy social or anything anymore, but I still talked to plenty of people. Cutting out everyone was a big deal for me. I kinda feel like I'm falling behind the entire world. Like I'll just disappear." She sighed. "I don't want to sound like I'm fishing for recognition. I don't need people to stand up and call me a hero. It'd just be nice if a few people saw us and thought 'yeah, they did okay.' Something to make it all seem worth it, you know?"

  "Yeah," he agreed. "And that's why you're pushing to get out here again, right?"

  "Exactly. I want this to keep going. I don't want to just fade out and vanish."

  Alden glanced up at the sky, where a news chopper was trailing the highway traffic. "I kinda doubt that's gonna happen."

  Hailey looked up too. "It's going away. Probably just evening traffic stuff."

  "Right." Alden paused, thinking for a few moments. "You're also pushing because you want to see them again, right?"

  Hailey's heart tightened a little. Alden was the only person who knew about her three lost friends, besides Jessica of course. "Yeah. That too."

  Alden pointed at a retail parking lot coming up. "That's the spot, right?"

  "That's the one." Hailey rolled her shoulders and stretched out, like she was about to start a fight. "You ready?"

  "As I'll ever be."

  They were due to meet in thirty minutes. The car was hidden two streets away. Alden sat at the corner of the parking lot, far away from the bustle of the store, quietly reading a book on the bench. Hailey stood a few steps behind on the grass, while Jessica kept them both invisible. By all appearances, Alden was totally alone. He was supposed to be calm and normal, but as Hailey looked back, his leg was shaking and the hand holding the book wouldn't stop quivering.

  "You okay?" she asked quietly.

  "I'll be fine," he murmured.

  "We can pull out if we have to."

  "No. The guy's already on his way." Alden gritted his teeth, staring at the book intensely though his eyes didn't actually travel across the words. "I can do this."

  "Okay. You say the word and we've got your back." Hailey forced herself to stay still. Jessica noticed her distress and took her hand firmly, squeezing to try and reassure her. It didn't help much, but Hailey appreciated it.

  Alden sat and waited, starting to doze off. Hailey got distracted watching the clouds, thinking about taking a flight around them at some point. It was fiercely cold and wet inside a cloud, but dancing around the intricate landscapes of the thicker blankets of clouds presented an interesting challenge, diving through the shifting formation without touching a single droplet of water.

  "Are you him?" asked a voice suddenly, in a heavily exaggerated dramatic overtone. Alden stood up straight, snapping the book shut on his finger.

  "Jonathan... Hudson, right?" Alden asked, squinting a bit in the sunset.

  "The one and only!" he cried, flourishing a voluminous reflective cape. Hailey fought the urge to laugh. Jonathan—who had to be in high school or just out of it—wore a cheap-looking tuxedo t-shirt under the cape, complete with top hat that was clearly out of an amateur magician set. "You wanted a demonstration, did you not? I heard whispers of a secret society, but pardon me, sir, for I had not expected their representative to appear so plainly. Your disguise does you wonders!"