Mr. Forgettable #Wattys2016

25

Jacob watched the news on Saturday evening. That wasn't something he usually did. He thought that the news was a bunch of crap made up by the people in high places. He didn't care about the two middle-aged women that took care of their ninety-year old mother. That wasn't real news. However, he had to deal with stories such as that one in order to hear the one he was waiting for.

Finally he heard the headline he'd been waiting for. The news anchor announced what he had been waiting to hear at half past four. Finally, thought Jacob.

"Just this afternoon, at the Wilson Conference Center in Des Moines, the mediator of the political debate between George Fredericks of Cedar Rapids and Richard Knolls of Markusville, Martin Soloman, collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest. Paramedics rushed to the scene after multiple sources called 9-1-1. Even the candidate for governor, Richard Knolls, did not hesitate to call."

The television showed a clip of Larkin's father pulling his cellphone.

"Soloman was declared dead at 2:11 p.m. on the way to the hospital. The debate will be rescheduled for next Saturday."

Sway had warned Jacob that this would happen. She had apprehended him on his way home after his run in with Neutron. She'd practically yanked him off the street in order to tell him about what was going to happen.

He replayed Sway's words.

"It's going to happen on Saturday afternoon, during the debate. The mediator should die. If he does, then that means all of our plans are falling into place, and you won't have to worry about killing Richard Knolls anymore."

"But doesn't your leader still want him dead?" Jacob asked.

Sway pursed her lips. "Yes."

"How's that going to happen if neither one of us does it?"

With a smirk, Sway said, "It's not like you've been having any luck. How many times have you tried?"

"That's not relevant information. How is your leader guy going to accomplish this, again?"

"He has his ways."

That was the end of their conversation. Sway had then shoved him back onto the street, where Jacob had almost been hit by a car after using his powers to make himself practically invisible to everyone else. He could tell how much Sway cared about his wellbeing.

Now, sitting on the couch in his living room, Jacob knew that he had to tell Larkin. He couldn't let her father be killed. He seemed like a decent guy.

Provided, Jacob didn't actually know how the mediator had been killed, so he couldn't exactly warn Larkin or tell her how to stop it. He would try, though.

()()()

Jacob walked all the way to Larkin's house from his. It wasn't that far, but it was far enough for him to wonder if the sun would go down before he actually made it there.

He walked up the steps and onto her front porch. He rang their doorbell and waited before starting to knock. Then he waited some more. Apparently, no one was home.

With a sigh, Jacob realized that she might have gone to the debate and wasn't back yet. Or maybe she was at Greta's house. He knew they were neighbors after all.

He hopped off Larkin's porch and walked through the grass to Greta's house. He hadn't seen Greta since the night in the park. She'd asked him to lure out the supers, make them active again. He could tell that Greta was only worried about Larkin's father because she cared so much about Larkin. To have a best friend like that, one that cared enough to walk around the city in the middle of the night looking to help the other, was unfamiliar to Jacob. He had friends, plenty of them, but they didn't care like Greta did for Larkin.