Chapter 2: Chasing The Bus
The last bus was about to leave. Now Felicia and Brett are running. They had to dash out of the flat and into the streets, racing against time itself. For the only bus that would take them to their planned destination was still a good mile away.
Though they are new to the area, Brett had ensured both he and Felicia thoroughly study the map of the city for precautionary measures. And no matter how much Felicia tried to assure him she'd remember, he made her sit with him for the better part of a few hours of the night observing and taking in every aspect of the map's markings that indicated different things in the city.
Perfect for sightseeing. Even more crucial when you're in danger of losing everything at a wrong turn. But even the most precise map of all could not prep them for this.
Everything was so big. Buildings towered over them higher than forest trees. It all seemed so disorienting and discombobulating. And yet they didn't care. Even when they looked up and the dizziness of this crowded, active metropolis seemed to be enclosing them in a game where they cannot win. Brett impulsively grabbed Felicia's hand and dragged her along as they kept running on the sidewalks.
"Come one, come on! Get your butt in gear! How can you be an assassin when you're this slow?!" Felicia exclaimed to Brett as she got alongside him while still running.
She tried to joke with him to try and get her mind off of how uncomfortable she was feeling. She had to wear dress shoes, and they were already taking a toll. Her feet were now sore, and every time they hit the ground, she felt the pain surge up through her body. She tried not to let it show. This was supposed to be an exciting day for her, after all.
But Brett could see she was in pain and struggling. Knowing she couldn't and wouldn't keep up at his full accelerated pace on her own and since they were running out of time, Brett decided to take a daring alternative. He yanked her by the hand that he was still holding in his, sending Felicia's body flying off her feet and close to him so he could catch her in both arms. Then he caught her and began to carry her, holding her by her upper back and shoulders in one arm and the back of her knees in the other. Once he had her, Brett started to go full speed. His feet moved so quickly, he was going faster than the cars on the road.
Bypassing many other pedestrians who glanced longer at the duo after they had gotten in their way or cursed and shook their fists at them for nearly knocking them over. Felicia practically kicked a lady with a baby carrier into the street as she was still being carried by Brett. She was just trying to relax and stretch out her feet, but she ended up kicking some poor mother and her baby off course and into danger. They definitely received some cussing for that one from the bystanders.
"Watch where you're going!" Felicia yelled at Brett.
"You're the one who keeps kicking people!" Brett snapped back.
"Well I wouldn't have to kick anyone if you could just find a clear path to the bus stop!" Felicia tried to place the blame on him.
"I had no idea this city was so sprawling!"
"Every city is sprawling, you big dummy! I guess I should expect something like this from a countryside boy!"
"You know, we wouldn't be having this argument if you had just woken up on time and not asked for seconds at breakfast when you knew we're running late!"
"Hey, I'm going to need my energy for today! There's no way I can do my utmost on the most important day of my life on an empty stomach!"
"Are you sure you don't have an empty head, too?"
Brett knew that last remark was a mistake, for he was instantly attacked by Felicia's poking fingers and her body squirming around in his arms as she began grabbing onto his hair and using her open palms to slap him repeatedly across both cheeks. She was throwing another childish tantrum for having been so inexorably insulted. Her hands soon got into his face and in his eyes, so he could not see where he was going.
"For the love of the Gods, knock it off!" he shouted.
Once he got rid of the obstruction by literally shaking it off his head, the next thing the duo was met with was a truck's blaring horn. He almost stopped running for when he saw the oncoming big hauler vehicle about to strike them both. Felicia even screamed in fright. Fortunately, Brett's feet kept moving, and thus the duo made it out of the street just in the nick of time. And as they reached the other side of the crosswalk, they had to make a sharp left turn down the next sidewalk, the one where the bus stop is located.
However, once they saw the bus itself at the end of the road, the wheels began to turn and the large passenger vehicle pulled away from the bus stop, slowly at first but gradually picked up speed. This was a problem. Hot sweat was rolling down Brett's cheek. Though he was reaching his limit, he pushed himself further and ran faster than he ever did before.
It took some time to get there, and all the while, Felicia was chanting Brett on to keep going.
"Go, go, go! We're almost there! Speed it up! Let's go, let's go!" she kept on saying.
Eventually, the duo was right alongside the bus, and a few of the bus's passengers saw them. One in particular was a teenage girl with dark skin and glasses. Her dark brown hair pulled into two short pigtails on either side at the base of her head. She stared at the duo of Brett and Felicia in confusion and wondering how anyone could run so fast and carrying a person at the same time.
Then, Felicia reached out her hand began slamming repeatedly with her palm flat on the side paneling of the large vehicle.
"Hey, wait! Wait!" she called out.
The bus driver heard this, and despite being on a busy road and a tight scheduled route, he wanted to know who in the world could possibly be ignorant and arrogant enough to chase after his bus. So he pulled over to the curb and floored on the brakes. After that, the doors opened, and the duo ran inside. Actually, Brett ran inside while still carrying Felicia, and he let her down once they were standing face-to-face with the bus driver.
"Think you've got some nerve making me stop my bus just so you can get on?!" he questioned them in a sharp tone.
"We're really sorry, but we've…we've got to get where we need to go!" Felicia insisted.
After due consideration, he realized he had no time to argue with mere kids, "Ugh, fine! Just pay the fair and take a seat already!"
So they did. Both of them were still panting and wheezing from all that running.
Brett took notice of this and asked, "Why are you all breathless if I was the one running?"
"Because that was pretty stressful. Don't you agree?"
"Of course, but I—it's just…Oh, never mind! Just let me rest here for a bit, and don't talk to me either!" he demanded.
As soon as he said that, Brett closed his eyes, leaned his head back, and slumped a little in his seat, still trying to catch his breath and feeling so exhausted he wanted to sleep it off. But he knew that wasn't doable. Somebody had to watch over Felicia, and that somebody has always been himself. Regardless, what he wouldn't give for even just a half a day off from all this strain.
Luckily, for the remainder of the bus ride, Felicia kept to herself, looking out the window and watching the world go by, and she didn't nag on Brett once. And still staring at them from the row of seats directly behinds theirs was the girl with dark skin and glasses. It wasn't in her nature to eavesdrop on other people, but this strange duo have piqued her curiosity.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
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