Thousand Year Switch

Chapter 7

I managed to talk Mom into letting me take the bus the next morning, spouting off crap about how it would be good to overcome any lingering trauma by facing my fears. It was astonishing, but she bought it. 

 The sun reflected off the store windows and made the sidewalks blindingly white as I made my way to the bus stop down the street. It may have been the weather, or the thought of seeing Morgan, but I was ridiculously cheerful for someone on his way to summer school. That may have been why I stopped when a crackly voice called out,

"Spare change, mister?"

A girl was sitting under the striped awning of a nearby comic book store. She had a bright blue handkerchief over dirty-blond hair and one hand resting on the collar of the friendly looking lop-eared mutt beside her. Normally I would keep walking, but my pockets were jingling with the coins I kept to feed the vending machines, and damn it, I was in a good mood so I stopped. 

The second I did, there was a blur by my left ear, and then a loud crash at my feet, and I jumped back, heart lodging in my throat. The girl gasped and drew her legs in as porcelain shards skittered across the sidewalk.

"What the hell!"

I looked down to see a tangle of green vegetation and crushed flowers. Dirt was splayed across the white sidewalk. A potted plant.

"Someone has it out for you, mate." The girl scrambled to her feet, craning her neck to look up at the high rise building above us. "Not standing next to you no more. Come on, Max."

I tipped my head back, squinting against the sun, listening to the buzz of traffic and the girl's retreating footsteps. The apartment's balconies were all empty, save one. A figure in one of the center balconies several floors up was leaning over the railing. A short, dumpy figure, clad in a flowery blue dress.

"Hey!" I yelled. "Watch it! You almost killed me with your damn Begonia!"

If I was expecting a wave or an apology I got none. The woman stared down at me blankly. My eyes began to adjust to the sunlight, and slowly I could make out her features. Short brown hair surrounding a plump face, large brown eyes. Vacant eyes.

"Oh shit." I ducked my head and ran, the face of the bus driver and the man in the bathrobe flashing in front of me. My heart was pounding in my ears, my breath ragged. The bus stop was only a few blocks away, but by the time I got there and threw myself onto the bench I was sweating. I darted a look through the glass casing of the bus shelter, glad I was hidden behind a large shampoo ad. I didn't think the woman in the high rise would come after me. She would have to run down a lot of stairs and then try to find me. But this was starting to get really scary. 

What the hell was going on?

Mr. Slouch was droning, and his voice was like a flock of lazy bumble bees on a warm day, drowsy and laden down with sun soaked lethargy. It must have been about Biology, but it could have been Physics 12 and I wouldn't have known the difference. I was too busy thinking about my narrow miss with the flying Begonia of death, and stealing sideways glances at Morgan, who appeared to be nodding off with her cheek pressed to her hand. Even when she was drooling a little, she was still cute. 

 Something penetrated my dull stupor. A sharp clicking sound from the hallway. Mr. Slouch trailed off, looking up from his text, an annoyed expression wandering across his slack features. The clicking came to a stop in the doorway. A girl, tall and dark with a slender face, red lips and wide, dark eyes.