Tommy Sallow is onto better and brighter things. After working a small hometown beat in upstate New York, he's finally in sunny California. As expected, it's the same shit in a different town. Except, you know, now he's near the ocean and miserable...
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"Psst...Mia," I whisper from the corner of the house, concealing my position to the rest of the party.
It's currently the weekend, the first weekend after my first week at work. One that took a lot out of me. I take a moment to scan the backyard. It's the very yard that holds so many childhood memories. My brothers always wanted to be outside. If we weren't on the ocean, we were in this yard. From wiffle ball to soccer to slip and slides and blow up pools, we did it all.
Currently, there's one of those small blow up pools in the center of the grass, not too different from the one of my childhood. Mia is playing beside it with her dolls. I'm glad to have this time to relax. To just spend it with my family on a hot, late August day. I came home to find this sense of jubilation. To rediscover what life is supposed to be about.
That's the thing though, this weekend is supposed to be fun. It's about being with family, and there's two people who seem to be slacking in the fun department. I intend to change that.
Mia's innocent eyes flicker up from her doll, glancing around the yard, searching for the sound of my voice. They shoot first to the screen door, but quickly switch over to the wall I happen to be using as a shield.
"Over here," I wave quickly before lifting my finger to my mouth to let her know to be quiet. She slowly stands from her location on the grass as she tiptoes over to me.
"What are you doing?" she asks loudly then cups her hand over her mouth causing me to stifle a chuckle.
"I have a mission for you, shall you choose to accept it," I lower my sunglasses to the tip of my nose before descending myself to her eye level.
She excitedly shakes her head up and down. "For me?"
"Yes," I whisper. "A super secret, very important task."
She raises onto her toes before falling back down to her heels. Her hands clap together in front of her as her smile brightens. "Okay."
"It appears we've lost our crew," I say, grabbing her hand and pulling her to the edge of the wall. I slowly look around the barricade, keeping her close to my side. I point to the two logs perched on the chairs. "You see, they've been compromised."
Her confused eyes glance back up at me. "Com-per-mize?"
I smile slightly before lowering myself again. "Compromised. It means they've been distracted by something. Something so powerful that it's taken control of them. We have to pull them out."
Her eyes widen as she takes in my words. She glances back around me, looking at Trevor and Lacy laying on the lawn chairs. They both have their eyes locked onto their phones, zoned out to the rest of the world. I'm sure whatever it is that has consumed them is worth the invisible shield they have deflected, but I think they need a weekend off just as much as I do.
