“God just one thing after another,” Kathryn said stumbling out the door of class.
Her teacher liked to drone on and on and talk too much and she had to finally just duck and leave at the end of the lecture. Any other day of the week it would have been fine but she decided to be a good person and cover someone’s shift and now she was going to be late for a work shift that wasn’t even hers.
Breaking into a mild run she hooked her book bag across her shoulder and fixed her sacarf around her neck. Checking her phone, she pulled up the CTA app trying to track when the next bus was going to be near her. Right now and they were all going in the other direction.
Letting out an angry groan she swapped over to the trains already deviating toward the subway tunnel. Skirting around the corner of the street she ignored the complaints as she barged past. She could hear a car honk on the other side of the street and was tempted to honk back at them with a few choice Korean obscenities.
Instead she ignored them and went over her mental map to make sure she was running in the right direction. Going to the cross walk she sprinted watching the light tick from green to yellow. She broke onto the street just as it hit read and now the car horns were being blared at her with good reason.
Throwing up her middle finger she kept going. Grasping a light pole, she stumbled around the corner feeling the weight of her bag almost make her careen down the stairs. But gripping the railing she stumbled down the steps and landed comfortably on her feet.
Going to the turnstiles she whipped out her ventra card and secured her passage through to the other side with numb fingers. Taking the escalator down she checked her phone again and sighed. The next train wasn’t for another five minutes but it was sooner than the bus. It just meant more walking for her once she got off but that would be easy enough.
Finally lowering her scarf, she let out a puff of cold air and groaned, “Jeez it’s cold down here.”
On the platform no one else was there waiting at the moment. It was a little after two so it was an awkward time of the afternoon. Scrolling through her phone slowly she saw the group chat and there were over forty messages in there that she hadn’t been able to check since she was in class.
She scrolled through it quickly catching up to the debauchery that had happened. Lots of complaining from her boyfriend about having to fight alien monsters, Jack posting videos of Marco and Sarah using their stones again in California. They were due back tomorrow but in the mean time they were going to make sure they could really do everything from before. Cal and Ben were driving back and would be back tonight but she could only imagine how unhappy that Ben might have been with this news.
Swapping through her messages she went toward her direct messages with Seth.
Kathryn: I finally found a way to get the train.
Violet: So not going to be late?
Kathryn: That’s the hope
How’s work?
Violet: Work is work.
Jeff is Jeff.
Kathryn: Lol good
Did you use your stone?
Violet: Not yet
After work
Kathryn: Can you wait for me too?
Violet: Assuming I can get away from Jeff
Kathryn: I know you’ll do your best
She heard the overhead intercom ding to life and the automated voice announce that her train was arriving in the station in two minutes. Swearing happily, she watched the train screech its way into the station. She texted Seth once more and then closed her phone. Less than a dozen people got off as she swapped places with them.
Standing near the opposite wall with her back to the window she looked at the car. A businessman standing, a woman doing a crossword and some guy sleeping in another corner. She was about to check her phone again when she paused staring at a guy who had been behind her.
Auburn hair messy and covering his face, a broad nose, and large eyes half closed in mild exhaustion. His skin was a rich beige though red in some places from the cold. He was wearing a dark grey hoodie, his head hidden under the hood. He looked up turning his brown eyes on her and smiled.
“I know you,” She raised her head, “Yeah. You’re Owen right?”
“Yeah. Yeah that’s me. Kathryn?”
“Mmhm. Missed you today in class.
“Yeah me and my brother lost track of time watching the new Daughter of the Dragon.”
She laughed, “Playing hooky to watch movies with your siblings huh?”
Owen laughed at that and the train bumped hard making Kathryn stumble and lean against the wall. “Jeez rough ride.”
“Yeah,” Owen replied frowning hard.
Kathryn began to say something when a small vibration tickled at her throat. She glanced down at her scarf and saw the beginning of a blue light illuminating her skin. She covered it immediately and felt her heart beat pick up several paces and looked around quickly. The vibration was getting stronger and the train shook again this time even harder.
“Stay here,” she told him. She turned her back to him and the other passengers had mirrored looks of concern at the constant back and forth shaking.
She got halfway to the center of the train before it bucked like a horse. Kathryn flew backwards toward the rear of the train slamming into one of the seats and letting out a shout of pain. Looking through barely cracked open eyes she was aware of the train having been stopped and even more so at that shape that dug it’s way through the ground.
A bipedal robotic figure, with an arm off exposed circuits and legs barely more than metal rods looked around. A red light blinked on it’s face multiple times as it took another step forward. “Celestial imbued human f-f-found. Termi-m-mi-ination initiated-d-d.”
The Harlequin Library 