Chapter 10: I make an impossible bargain
Practice day.
It was the weekend, and Stephen was pleased to forget school and do the stuff that he liked.
He grinned and scanned the expanse of the Grand Canyon. Craggy brown rocks, a clear blue sky and a river that ran along the ridge. At least on Billboard. He wiped the sweat off his forehead. He stretched and lowered himself in a runner's stance. He zoomed on the city's streets to the outskirts. He looked back at the buildings.
As a kid, he had never gone 20 miles away from the city alone. He grinned at his freedom and pushed faster.
His system counted.
<99...100...101...102...>
He stopped at 299 miles and he collapsed, crawling to a broken bus stop.
<You have passed your daily quest>
He grinned willing to try. The AI had him on a loop. He would not stop until he hit the mark. He would run every lane, and stock all the experience points until he got to Mach 2 (1504 miles)
He checked his watch; It was 6:30.
Lance's party was tomorrow night on Friday. He took out the crumpled envelope from his pocket and his eyes glimmered when he saw two tickets to the fair.
He was getting psyched. He wondered how it felt like to ride a rollercoaster in slow motion. [ Yes! ]
***
Ernestine made a phone call. Darla was busy choosing color schemes for a client's room. She sent Drew her invitation card.
"Why didn't Lance just send a text? What is this? 1995?" Drew laughed.
Ernestine was not invited to parties that much and spent little time pondering on such. She spent her time studying books and attending Karate classes on the weekend.
She just received a yellow belt in her class and she was happy to be progressing. Something that worked, unlike all other aspects... She squealed and held it close while her teacher clapped. Her coursemates huddled around her and insisted on touching it.
"Wow, it's so pretty." A boy said.
"Tough luck, I'll be stuck as a white belt forever." Another girl with red hair mused.
"Don't feel bad..." Her complexion was bleached when she looked across the dojo at the blonde boy by the window. She blinked three times when he wasn't who she thought he was.
She went home to Darla. Then she focused on finishing her quests, lifting rocks with weights and trying to keep them airborne for a long time. Rejecting the other ones that did not suit her interests. She realized that she loved challenges just as much but wished they were just as mentally tasking.
She studied the AI intently and then scrolled to the next board.
<Tutorials.>
The second meteorite was from the uncharted parts of space, forged from the same radioactive waste thus creating a near-sentient creature and it was not to be handled recklessly.
<The alien rock corrupts and harnesses all forms of metal and technology. Watch out for any scenario that poses too suspicious>
Her lips thinned at that. "Oh boy." She did not like the sound of 'uncharted' and for all she knew, NASA must have had a hard time containing it. It was all their fault.
Her hair stood up in plight and she settled to ask about something else.
"Gadgets you say?"
[ Affirmative, I encourage 3d printing and fabrication. Do you wish to adopt a gimmick into your training program? ]
"That's impossible. There's no way an AI could produce super suits. And as a matter of fact_"
[ Stephen approved of this preference 3 seconds ago*
She growled.
Ernestine, I require your input to fully begin the process. If so. Signify by tapping the yes input ]
...
"I think using a suit will raise concerns. Not only that. It defies all logic!"
She closed the tab. She heaved a sigh. "Give me some time."
...
Lance stepped on the ball, he stood at the soccer field waiting and grinned. It was practice day, time was ticking and he had not walked through the gate.
"Is he still doing this?" Felicity asked AJ from where they stood. They watched him and spoke from a distance by the goalpost.
"Ha! Forget it, Stephen is never joining our team or coming for practice_" His eyes bulged and he pushed up his glasses. "Madre de Dios."
Stephen counted all the points that he acquired from running. He reached 800 miles. "Not bad at all."
"So you finally changed your mind." Lance said in an awry voice. Grinning.
Stephen laughed. "As if. You surprise me, Lancelot. I have two tickets to the Leviathan here, you seem to forget that there's only one of me." He said with a cocky smile he raised the ticket and Lance covered his eyes groaning.
"You have tickets to Leviathan the Ride?"
A player's head perked up like a groundhog.
"Whoa, they haven't opened in ages. Please let me have it."
The players flocked to Lance now. "Sign me up!"
"Guys!" He grunted when they kept him in place begging.
"It's sold out." He said.
"I'll buy it off your hands."
"There goes that invitation." Felicity kicked the ball when Coach Stewart whistled.
***
Lance frowned on the bench while Stephen whistled. He had one chance to spend with his friends this weekend. Then it was back to his house. His parents barely had time for him and they were always fighting. The worst kind involves slammed doors and bouts of passive aggression. He asked their permission to run a birthday party at the house because it involved more playacting. At least that would get them to stop bickering. He sighed and came back to the present.
"Didn't know that was a surprise." Stephen rubbed his head. "Hehe."
"Now it isn't. Give me the card." He took out a notecard and shook his head then he read out loud.
'Stephen, give one ticket to Ernestine. I don't think she's in a good mood to accept my invitation at the moment. PS Don't tell anyone that we're going to Leviathan The Ride.'
"Sometimes I just wonder if you're ADHD."
[ Why would you assume that? ] Stephen grinned at a butterfly fluttering by. His foot thumped on the ground and he watched the players struggle and he laughed.
"Nevermind." Lance sighed.
Stephen realized he forgot to say that statement out loud. He shook his head. "If I get her to come with us, will you stop being mad at me?"
Lance sulked. His eyebrows twitched when he begged. He threw in a chance at playing Zombie Force 3, a new game. The one he stole. The one he couldn't play because Jason had stashed his game somewhere in the house. He had a week to go from detox and it was killing him.
"Please!"
He smiled. He never cancelled the invitation but Stephen begged anyway.
"Done but don't flunk it this time. Be subtle when you ask. Don't make it sound weird." They shook hands and Stephen eyed his hand.
"What's with the nail polish?"
***
Ernestine folded his robe and rolled her eyes. She took out a slip from the Dry Cleaners and tossed it out. She stepped out in a grey hoodie, brown pants and white sneakers.
Jason raked the leaves off his new garden, he glanced at Ernestine moving toward him.
"Ah well, what crime did Stephen commit today?"
"Nothing, Mister Curry. I came to return this." She held up the robe and he took it. Turning it over. "I hope you don't mind. I dry cleaned."
"Didn't know you were a fan." He chuckled unfolding it. "He never borrows this out to anyone. Ever."
She grimaced. "Yes. Again, I'm very sorry about your previous predicament. Stephen must be overwhelmed, maybe that's the reason why he gave it to me in the first place." She touched her chest.
"Yes...well, I guess that makes sense. But it all worked out. Thanks again, Emma." He tucked it under his arm.
"Ernestine." She frowned.
"Right." He patted her head and then got back to raking.
Ernestine wiggled a hand and the ground shifted. The basket toppled over and the breeze inadvertently blew the pile of leaves inside of it.
"Whoa."
She marched to her side and then smiled at the front door.
"Hi!"
"What??"
She looked around and found no one then started to sweat. Reaching for the door handle.
"Ernie, you've gotta come to Lance's party."
Stephen stepped out from behind her tree.
"Of course..." She muttered and stopped cold at the rumpled ticket. He spoke in a manner of urgency.
"Why should I?" She folded her arms.
"Because it's fun and you're..." He coughed. "Not..."
She withered at that. "I could get sick you know, besides, there isn't some thankless motive behind your asking, is there?"
His eyes rolled to the left. "Not that I know of." He held her shoulders and brought her closer.
"Trust me, it'll be fun." He said grinning and she laughed at him.
***
So sorry for the long hiatus. I've been lazy_I mean busy.
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