When Stars Align

Chapter 1 - The Cafe

God was it bright out. It was only 9 in the morning and the sun was already burning onto Evangeline's skin and beginning to leave a red tint hinting at a nasty burn. There must be a heatwave or something. She wasn't exactly sure what she was doing, wandering the streets of a little English town like some stupid tourist.

As she walked aimlessly down the narrow cobblestone sidewalk she felt a low grumble in her stomach. She continued to walk down her path until she spotted a tiny coffee shop at the end of the strip. It was completely empty inside except for the tall scruffy looking man behind the counter busying himself with a crossword puzzle. As she entered a little bell rang above her and gained the attention of the young man. He pushed up his glasses as he stood and motioned her forward.

"What can I get for you?" he asked.

"A cappuccino please... and a slice of banana bread. Thanks"

"Here you go," the cashier said as he handed her the bread in a little brown bag.

While she waited for her coffee, Evangeline began to look around the little shop. It looked as if it hadn't been mopped in ages. There were four little tables in the whole place. Two on each side creating a walkway down the middle leading up to the counter. Another couple had walked in next to her and were eyeing her suspiciously. Was it that obvious she wasn't a local? Evangeline was suddenly very self-aware and grew red in the face as she shuffled her feet. Maybe coming to the UK wasn't the best idea after all. Thankfully her name was called and she quickly grabbed her coffee and went to sit at the little two-person table near the window on the right and sat facing away from the street.

As she sat she unwrapped her bread and took a bite. It wasn't half bad. The coffee though, wow. She stared at the little to-go cup in her hand. This had to be the best coffee she'd ever had. She noticed the other couple had sat down at the table in front of her and felt more at ease. She decided to pull out her book and read as she finished her coffee and contemplated her next move.

She was a homeless teen in England. Sure she had money, but couldn't really spend it without raising suspicion. Whatever. Just drink your coffee and deal with the rest later.  She opened up her book to the first page and began reading. This poor copy of "A Wrinkle in Time" looked as if it had been through war. Evangeline had read it more times than she could recall and it had dozens of little sticky tabs sticking out of it and almost every part had been highlighted and re-highlighted with little notes and drawings written all over the margins. The cover was tattered and ripped and the spine was practically broken in half from sitting open for hours on end. She began reading as she ate and instantly felt more relaxed in the quiet shop.

The silence only lasted about 20 minutes until Evangeline was interrupted by the howling of what could only be a group of teenage boys.

As the overwhelmingly obnoxious group of boys entered the shop Evangeline tried her best to concentrate on her book, but curiosity got the best of her. She looked up to see four boys with their backs to her as they grazed over the menu at the counter. She watched them intently as the two of them began stepping on each other's toes that escalated into a weird stomping fight in a matter of seconds.

'Can't I just have a single moment's peace please' she thought as she rolled her eyes.

When the boys were finished ordering they turned around to sit at the four-top table and Evangeline didn't realize she was still watching them.

Holy shit.

Right when she snapped back into reality, one of the boys turned to look directly at her.

Holy shit.

Why wasn't she looking away?

Why wasn't he looking away?