Droplet

Chapter 3

"Hello. Welcome back to Rocky Road Ice Cream Company. Do you all want your usual?" The boy behind the counter asked. His voice was like a drone; he never seemed excited about anything. Vic didn't blame him though. His job never changed. He'd been in this same plain old ice cream shop for two years. By now he'd probably memorized all of the cracks in the yellowing drywall. 

"Yeah. The usual's fine." Vic walked to the end of the counter with Cass while the other two went to their usual table. 

Cass shuffled her feet and leaned against the counter top. She stayed like this for a few moments, then inhaled sharply, "SoIheardyou'reawatermagethat'sreallycoolpleasedon'thurtme," she spilled out in one breath.

"Yeah," Vic sighed, "I'm a water mage. And I'm not going to hurt you. You're my friend, and what kind of friend would I be if I hurt you for no reason?"

Cass took a deep breath and visibly relaxed, "Yeah, I guess that would make you a pretty awful friend."

The monotonous voiced man set their ice cream on the counter. "Thanks for coming. Have a nice day."

"You too!" Vic smiled. She always tried to brighten up his day a little. She picked up hers and Josh's ice cream then she and Cass carried the ice cream to the table and sat down. 

They sat in silence while they ate. Vic finished long before anyone else, so she tossed her dish into the trashcan behind her and kicked her feet up onto the table. She looked around the old run-down ice cream shop and wondered what it would've looked like back when it was first built. The walls--now cracked and yellowed--must have been a bright white, plastered with posters and signs, and the gross green tiles on the floor would have been bright teal, just like her hair. They'd probably all be there too. A lot of them were missing now. The tables had been replaced twice since the store had opened. At least, that's what Vic gathered after studying the pictures on the wall. There were 4 of them: one for every decade the little shop had been there. The first black and white photo looked beautiful. Shiny new counter tops and tables, 4 workers rushing around, getting customers orders to them as fast as they could, and Vic's favorite part, the people. There were at least ten in line, which was far more than Vic ever saw now, and all the tables were full. She wished she could have seen it in its prime. It was only in the last two decades that the place started to fall apart. 

"Hey Vic. You there?" Vic was startled from her thoughts as Josh waved a hand in front of her face.

"Oh. Sorry. I was lost in thought." Vic chuckled. 

"Yeah, we noticed. Your phone's been buzzing for the past three minutes." Josh held up her phone, which was indeed vibrating. Vic took it from his hand and flipped it open. She hated that it was a flip phone, but she wasn't going to complain. She was glad to have a phone at all, even if it wasn't the latest smartphone with holographic technology. 

"Hello. This is Vic."

"I know dear," Mrs. Martin's voice sounded panicked, "There are two army vehicles outside of my house and there are soldiers here that demand to see you, so you'd better get back here and explain this to me this instant!" She hung up. 

"H-hey, guys I gotta go." Vic jumped up from her seat, grabbed her skateboard, and was gone in seconds. 

Her heart was pounding as she raced home; she was afraid it would pop right out of her chest. Though that would seem pleasant compared to what awaited her at the mansion when Mrs. Martin got to her. She once got grounded for a month for laughing too loud while watching videos on her computer. She couldn't imagine the trouble she'd be in for bringing soldiers to the house. 

She reached the mansion in a mind-blowing five minutes, as opposed to her usual eight or so, and burst through the front door. She was met with the sight of a very angry Mrs. Martin standing behind three of the most enormous men she'd ever seen in her life. All three were heavily armed and wearing fatigues. 

"Come with us quietly. Nothing has to be difficult," one man spoke with force, if she wasn't already afraid, she sure was now.

"Why? What do you want with me?" Vic squeaked. She tried to shrink herself the moment the words left her mouth. The man on the left stepped closer to her. 

"You're the only known water mage and we need your power. Pack only necessities and be back here in an hour. Got it?"

Vic nodded and scrambled up the stairs to her room.