The Heroes We Weren't

Chapter 24 - The Purpose Of It All

I gestured to Hyun-Soo to let him know that I was heading down to the entrance of the building; I had to get away from the noisy surroundings and I trusted him not to use violence against Rick (even though the latter sure deserved it).

"We're at Miranda's," I told Adam over the phone, as I hurried down the stairs, "see you in twenty minutes."

I placed the phone in my pocket. It seemed like an overall good plan – heading to Adam's. For what place would be safer for Miranda than the home of her detective?

"Excuse me..." I said as I made my way down; an older lady had taken a seat on the last step; slightly blocking my way. A yawn was her only reply.

There was a definite similarity between this world and the other; as of late everyone seemed to wander in their own thoughts, sometimes mumbling their worries out loud for me to hear. Such a similarity became clear to me as I had pushed the door open to the outside; The many voices of the street reminded me of the cacophony of the current dream world.

A group of people were standing in front of a store window, mumbling and whispering while discussing what they saw. Every once in a while one of them would point, gasp and nod along in agreement.

I could tell that they were all viewing a TV screen, but the group blocked my view of what they were actually watching.

"It's what we need; it's exactly what we need." One of them said.

"You as well?" A woman gasped. "I thought I was the only one!"

There was a gentle tap on my shoulder. Two fingers, one split second. Attention craving.

I turned around to face a woman - her black hair up in a ponytail; her fringe swayed across her well powdered forehead. She reminded me an awful lot of Tanya, just taller and with a sharper jawline.

Her red lipstick stood out from the rest of her style; a white dress had been matched with a white cardigan, that hung over her shoulders - Her well-manicured nails grasped onto a glittery purse.

Her entire character stood out from her surroundings; much like a Hollywood housewife having lost her way – ending up in the wrong city and the wrong company.

"Felicity? Is it?" She smiled and her eyes glistered with excitement.

I nodded, couldn't recall ever having met her. This world or the other.

"I'm Joanne." She held her hand forth. "Miranda's sister."

"Oh!" I exclaimed and gave myself a mental face palm for not having greeted her earlier. "How rude of me, hi, nice to meet you."

There was something about these ladies and tagging me along – Joanne had soon enough tugged onto my arm just like Tanya had days before; I was just hoping this wouldn't lead to another encounter with Felicity The Mannequin.

"Miranda is on her way, I suppose?" She chippered as we walked up to a car - she pulled the passenger's door and helped me inside. There were then a few moments of silence before she appeared by the driver's door.

"You see," Joanne took a seat next to me and closed her door, "Miranda said you both needed a ride?"

I nodded. Twenty minutes by foot meant, well, a lot less by car. I tapped my fingers against my lap while viewing the door to the apartment building. Miranda and Hyun-Soo still hadn't arrived.

Joanne dug through her purse, angled the rear-view mirror and perfected her already perfect lip stick. It left a red dot on her tooth as she had twitched from surprise; a man had accidentally slammed his palm onto the hood of the car while saving himself from tripping over his own feet. No gestures of apology. Only a yawn.