Chapter 10 The Shop of Lost Things
What in the world could part two be? He had such a smug look on his face, I just knew I was going to be in for it. I walked over to my locker, still thinking of all the possibilities that could possibly happen. Granted, I really had no idea what it could be. I saw my locker and Cindy and Bartise chatting. A moment later, Cindy's eyes locked onto mine, and a big smile crossed her face as she yelled to me.
"THE HERO OF LOTAS!!!" She dramatically bowed to me as I got close. "I am unworthy," she snickered.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.
"The video of you moving the rope on the wall has gone viral; everyone in the school already knows about it," Bartise said as Cindy rose from her bow.
"There is a video of that?" I asked.
"Yeah? Did you not get one? Everyone is talking about it?" he answered.
I looked around, and all the people at their lockers near us were whispering. Clearly, Bartise was correct on that. As I locked eyes with the ones around me, they either waved or looked away, but before I could tell Bartise, I did not do anything special. I just did the right thing, but I didn't even have a phone to see what he was talking about. Cindy was shoving her phone in my face.
"Look how cool you look in this!" she smiled as she watched the video with me. I smiled. I did look cool. But wait a minute. As we watched, I noticed my hair dye was starting to fade. I needed to touch it up. I can start to see the red coming through.
"You really have not seen the video?" Bartise asked.
"No, I do not have a cellphone." I answered, “But Cindy is going to the store with me to pick something out today," I replied.
"Oh, cool. Can I tag along? I do not have anything to do after school, and I can get your number once you have your phone." Bartise winked at me, and damn it, I blushed a little at that.
I was adapted to handling high stress situations, but when it came to cute boys who flirted with me, I was uncomfortable, but not in a bad way, in a way I did not know what to do, and I really did not like not knowing what to do in a situation.
"You're awfully cute when you blush like that, Elizabeth," Bartise teased me with a smirk and a slight nudge of my shoulder.
"Shut up!" I bit out, embarrassed.
Bartise chuckled deeply and loudly. People around us who stopped looking at me were back looking at me. My face grew hot as I turned away, remembering I had to get my stuff out of my locker.
As I was packing my bag, I noticed from the corner of my eye that Ezra was staring at me. For some reason, that made me feel more embarrassed that he saw me clearly feeling so uncomfortable. I did not like looking weak. I was about to look away when I noticed Mr. Griffen tap Ezra on the shoulder, his eyes went a little wide at whatever Mr. Griffen whispered in Ezra's ear. How strange, I wonder what that was about.
"Okay, I got my stuff. I am ready to go. How about you?" I asked my friends.
"Yeah, I am good to go, you?" Cindy asked Bartise
"Yeah, I do not need to take anything home today," Bartise said.
With that, we left the school together and rode in Bartise's truck. It was an old Gmc with a bench seat. I do not know much about trucks or cars, but this was easily thirty or forty years old.
"Nice truck," I commented, sliding into the middle
"Yeah, my dad gave it to me at the beginning of the summer, and we spent most of the summer fixing it up together," he said, smiling fondly.
I spent most of the ride listening to Cindy and Bartise tell stories of their summer, and they told me about the fun things you can do in town. It was not much, but it was a small town. We got to the only cell phone shop in town, and dread fell on me.
It was closed.
"Damn it, guess we came out here for nothing," I mumbled.
"Do you like books?" Cindy asked.
"Yea?" I answered, wondering what she had in mind.
"Well, there is this really cozy little shop just down the street that has a bunch of books that you can not really find anywhere else," Cindy said, pointing to a store with a rectangular-shaped sign hanging over the sidewalk.
"Why not," I agreed, "Bartise, you still want to tag along?" I asked, knowing he only came to get my phone number."
"Why not? I wouldn’t mind hanging with you longer." Bartise winked at me, making my face grow hot again. Damn, it was getting annoying now.
"OH GOODIE," Cindy cheered happily, ignoring my discomfort at Bartise’s constant flirting.
"Oh calm down" I teased, as I tried to ignore Bartise’s flirting.
"Sorry! I was so worried you would bail on me because the phone shop was not open." Cindy nervously admited.
I grabbed her arm, and then with my other arm, I grabbed Bartise and dragged them down the street to the bookstore. Me and Cindy and I laughed and giggled as we walked. Bartise even laughed a bit. I only let go once we reached the front door of the shop. Cindy excitedly ran into the shop first, followed by me then Bartise. The old woman behind the counter stared at us like she was examining us on the spot for something.
"Uhh... Hello." I stammered out. The others seemed glued to the spot, stuck in her stare.
"You have come in looking for answers to questions you have not dared to ask yet," she crooned at us.
"Uh yeah sure..." I said unsure of how to respond to that question.
"You must venture off to find what you had no idea was lost." she pointed when I did not move she shouted "GOOOO NOOOOW"
I started to walk over where she pointed for me to go. I felt Cindy and Bartise start to move behind me, to follow.
"YOU CAN NOT FOLLOW" she yelled at them Cindy almost jumped and knocked Bartise over. They looked over at me, unsure what to do.
"It is fine, I am the hero of the LOTAS exam right?" I smiled at them so they knew I would be fine before turning back to the area the old lady told me to go. It felt good that they worried, but then I began to wonder if they did not want me to go because they wanted me to keep them safe. I giggled at myself.
I could barely hear what the old women told them exactly, but from what I could tell, they were things perfect for them and what they would want to find. Thinking of that made me wonder what she said to me. "Find what you had no idea was lost," what in the world could that possibly mean. I began looking at things to see if anything jumped out at me, until...
CRAAASSH
Not paying attention, I crashed right into someone, but before I fell on my butt, firm hands caught me and pulled me into a warm solid body. I am such an idiot.
"Well, well, well... What do I have here? I seem to have caught a little mouse." Ezra teased softly in my ear.
"You have not caught me, I was just not paying attention, you jerk." I practically growled at him. Feeling embarrassed that in a small way I would not admit to, that he did catch me.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, little mouse." He smirked at me. "What are you doing here anyway?" he asked, looking seriously at me.
"Well, not that it's any of your business, I went to get a phone but the store was closed, so my friends decided to come check this place out, and the old lady told me to come over here," I told him, not sure why I was being so honest to him.
"Oh really..." he looked at me, pulling me in a little closer to him.
"Yeah... now can you let me go." I asked as I fought to wiggle free, but he had me locked down, and I did not feel like breaking something in the shop to get out of his hold.
Smiling "I do not know if I want to let my little mouse go. I am not sure when the next time I will catch you again," He smirked teasingly. Something unfamiliar burned in me. I opened my mouth to say something, but before I could say anything.
"MASTER EZRA TIME TO GO" a deep male voice called out. Ezra sighed, and he let me go.
"See you later little mouse" he took a few steps before turning around to look at me and said, "Be careful out there, little mouse, scary shit is happening out there now," he said as he began to walk away, but I could not stop myself from saying
"Thought you said you were not a hero?"
He stopped and laughed before saying, "Oh, I am a villain... But there are more villainous people and things out there, mouse that scare even me. Some are even masked with friendly smiles... So, watch your back," he said, disappearing between shelves. I stood there for a minute wondering what he could have meant by that. Then suddenly, an object Wacks me on the head.
"What the hell was that?" I cursed picking up the old dusty diary. When a picture fell out... I picked it and my eyes widened... "What the hell." Cursing at my confusion looking at a picture of a teenage girl that looked exactly like me before I changed my hair and eye color. She was a little older, but other than that she was my twin And the name on the picture made me question so much more.
Sarah Griffen, Graduation, 20 years ago.