“Oh, it will, and the van has much more use now,” she replied easily, then looked at me. “Was it warm enough for you, hon?”
It warmed my heart how much she cared. They met me only yesterday and had already shown me more kindness than any other person had in over four years.
“It was perfect,” I replied. “But I will add some insulation before the season changes.” I thought about asking them about stores to buy it from, but I figured it would do me good to save up a little first.The currency here was different than in my world and it would take some time to get used to how much stuff was worth.
“I’ll help you out with that,” Jerry offered, swallowing the last of his sandwich, licking his fingers clean before wiping them on his jeans.
“Thank you,” I smiled, hoping I wouldn’t tear up. I had already cried once in this world and hoped I could at least last a few more days before leaking again. But it was hard not to. This had already been a perfect day, and it wasn’t even over yet.
We cleaned up after ourselves and waved Betty goodbye. She needed to return to her shop and would be back later to pick Jerry up. She’d told me not to worry about dinner tonight, stating firmly that she’d prepared something for me already. I’d smiled and thanked her before she left.
“Ready to tackle the next customer on your own?” Jerry asked, pointing to the approaching car. I nodded.
I was ready to be useful.
Chapter 6
Xarius
I had been driving for three days, the locket glowing brighter as the hours passed. I had to pay for a motel room yesterday, needing a shower and somewhere to wash my clothes. They luckily had a laundromat I could use while I refreshed myself. I’d decided to clean my sheets, too, not knowing when I would get the chance again. After filling my belly with some quick take-out, I was on the road again, feeling my skin vibrate with excitement.
I was closing in on them.
Four hours later, the locket glowed so much I knew they were within a mile now. Driving down a forested road, I turned and parked at a gas station, looking around at the cars curiously. Could they be here? I couldn’t see any other buildings nearby on the map, at least not in a mile radius. Maybe they lived in the woods? Not daring to face civilization just yet. I rubbed over my heart, desperate to find them, to help them.
I exited my van and walked inside the station. An older man was behind the register so it couldn’t have been him, my soulmatch would be eighteen. I decided to browse as I watched the locket glow the same incessant brightness. I was definitely at the right place. Deciding not to look like I was stealing, I grabbed some chips and a soda and went to pay. I might as well fill up on gas, too, I thought as I paid the man.
I went outside feeling empty. I hadn’t found them. But they had to be close. I refueled my van and contemplated what to do. I could stay and lay in wait. From the cover of my van, I could sit comfortably, and people watch for hours. I parked my car so it faced the parking lot, and then sat and waited.
Fifteen minutes later, the man from inside came out. He walked towards a parked van, likely grabbing something he needed. He knocked on the van, a weird thing to do, but then it opened and a red headed guy appeared, smiling softly at the man.It had to be him. He was my soulmatch, but just to be absolutely certain, I would stay and watch him a little while longer. I couldn’t just run up to him and tell him I was a shunned mage, too. What if I were mistaken? No, I would sit here and simply observe him.
Chapter 7
Niam
I had this weird buzzing feeling in my body like something was close to happening. I almost felt drunk on it. A knock on the side of my van had me hurrying over to open it. I knew it was Jerry; we’d come up with a special knock, just in case a bear would ever knock on it. Jerry hadn’t laughed, at least not while we practiced the secret knock. He might have when we told Betty. I didn’t care. I was still alive to tell the tale so I must’ve done something right.
Jerry had to run into town and asked if I could man the station while he was gone. Nodding, I climbed out and walked inside. I felt eyes on me the whole way,likely from bears.
Inside I still felt someone watching me. I looked outside and spotted a black van. Not creepy at all, I thought to myself as I made sure the store phone was ready beside me. I could easily call Jerry to return if someone sketchy appeared. I tried looking inside of it, but it was hard to see from this distance. I knew someone was in there, I could feel their eyes on me, I just didn’t know who or how many there were.
Ignoring it for now, I decided to work on my latest sketch. Betty had seen me work yesterday when she came in with lunch. I’d started sketching when there wasn’t anything to do, hoping to keep my skills fresh if I ever got the opportunity to work with my art. Betty had asked if I wanted to draw some promotional things for her to use in her store, so I was sketching a few different flower designs for her to choose from. We’d also talked about painting the inside of her store with a flower mural, something I would love to do.
The sound of a car door slamming had my attention again. I looked up and saw a young man with black hair and a leather jacketexit the van. When he caught me staring, he stopped his stride. Was he looking at me? He seemed to question himself and went back inside his van.
Okaaaay, Creepy Steve, you can just stay there.
I resumed my sketch, making sure the phone was still ready next to me. I wasn’t about to deal with a Creepy Steve alone. But for now, he seemed determined to stay inside his van, so I would pretend to ignore him until Jerry came back.
Two hours later, Jerry returned with my insulation.
“How much do I owe you?” I asked as I helped him carry everything over to my van.
“Nothing, I got all this for cheap. I can’t have my best employee getting sick from the cold, now, can I?” He chuckled.
“You mean youronlyemployee,” I teased him, glad to have found friends already. The fact he’d already bought something I was planning on was so thoughtful, I didn’t really know how to act, afraid Iwasn’t being grateful enough. To be honest it’d been so long since people did things for me out of kindness that I’d forgotten how to act, too afraid now to seem ungrateful.
“The best,” he stated, raising an eyebrow, as I started to protest.
