Mr. Forgettable #Wattys2016

24

Larkin awoke in her bed. She was on top of her covers, dressed in her clothes from last night. The haze that still clouded her mind told her that the night before had not been a dream. Neutron was real, and whatever it was that he had done to her back in the outer city was still affecting her.

Honestly, Larkin was horrified. She didn't know this super and all that he was capable of. She didn't even know that he existed until her unfortunate encounter with him. Worst of all, she had no clue of the fated event that was to occur today. Therefore, she had no means to stop it. She could only wait and hope that it wouldn't come to pass.

Forcing herself to get out of bed, Larkin shoved her covers back and swung her feet to the floor. Slightly shivering, Larkin pulled one of the blankets off her bed and wrapped it around her shoulders. Her parents always kept the house too cold for her liking.

She stood, ready to wrap the blanket completely around her, but she froze when she noticed something on her wrist.

It resembled a hair tie in thickness, but it was just a piece of grey fabric. She remembered Neutron's shortened grey sleeves, and how they were ragged at the bottom.

She figured the odd bracelet to be a reminder or what might occur today.

Swallowing the apprehension in her throat, Larkin decided it was time to face the day, no matter what happened. She walked down the stairs and entered her kitchen, looking for a good breakfast. She popped some toast into the toaster and fried an egg.

Both of her parents were suspiciously absent. Larkin ambled from the table where she was eating her breakfast to the counter. Sometimes, her mother would leave a note for her if she left before Larkin awoke. Just as she thought, the granite counter held a scrap of paper with Mrs. Knolls's messy cursive sprawled over it.

Larkin,

Your father and I went to Des Moines for a debate. It's at 2. If you want to come, Aunt Libby will be leaving at noon.

Mom

Larkin read the note with a knot of unease growing in her stomach. She figured this would be the location of the 'what might happen tomorrow' as predicted by Neutron. Her father would be there. So would the other candidates. Larkin glanced at the clock, praying that it was before twelve.

Eleven thirty. Gosh darn it Larkin. Why do you sleep so much? She scolded herself before calling her Aunt Libby and rushing to ready herself in time.

Thirty minutes later, Aunt Libby pulled into Larkin's driveway in her minivan. Larkin made sure to lock the door behind her before swallowing her dread. She couldn't let anything else happen to her father. She wouldn't.

()()()

Approximately one hour and thirty minutes later, Larkin and her aunt pulled into a parking spot in front of a large conference center. They had to walk half a mile to find the entrance, and the tension in Larkin only grew as they drew closer to the debate's location. They climbed into an elevator alone and began their ascent to the debate room.

"Larkin, are you all right?" asked her aunt.

Larkin raised her eyes from the floor of the elevator and tried to plaster a reassuring smile on her face. "Yeah, I'm good. It's probably just the elevator."

Aunt Libby offered Larkin a piece of gum, in case her ears needed to pop. Larkin declined. She didn't think it would help her worries.

They emerged from the elevator on the twentieth floor. Her aunt knew where to go, so Larkin simply followed like a lost puppy. They entered a grand auditorium with hundreds of seats. Many of them were already filled with chattering people. Aunt Libby led Larkin to one of the closest seats to the stage.