Foolish Mortals

Chapter 6

cal-low

kalō

adjective

(especially of a young person) inexperienced and immature

synonyms: juvenile, adolescent, naive, green, untried, unworldly, unsophisticated

"What do you think happened to him?" Jess was leaning against the counter in It's Bean Great, wiping out a mug with a towel.

I glanced at my phone again, reading the text I'd received from Devon late last night. He'd called Isaac seven times over the past two days, and still nothing.

"I have no idea," I said, worrying my lower lip with my teeth. "It's just so unlike him. Do you think we should call the cops?"

"I mean, if this is unusual, I feel like somebody should," Jess replied, frowning. "Maybe Devon can go down there with a picture today, report him missing. Just in case. Better safe than sorry, right?"

"Yeah, I guess Devon would be best. I don't have a picture of Isaac, and they're closer friends."

I turned my attention back to my phone and sent off a text, recommending that Devon go to the cops. Even though Isaac was kind of a douche, I felt sad that we were the only people who would even be looking for him if he disappeared. I knew Jess would move heaven and earth to find me, if I didn't show up to work or something. She wouldn't wait some mandatory twenty four hour period, either. She would raise hell until half the police force was looking for me.

"He's probably fine," Jess said hurriedly as she eyed my face. "Your face is going to be frozen in perpetual worry lines if you keep this up."

"I can't help it," I said, throwing my hands up. "Nobody in my life has ever gone missing before."

"What about that one time my sister came to visit, and she got pissy at me and went wandering through the streets of downtown at two in the morning?" Jess smiled and nudged me. "And we had to go trudging around looking for her, and we found her drunk as a skunk, swinging in the park?"

I knew she was trying to distract me, but it was kind of working, so I went along with it. "Yeah, we had to argue with her for like fifteen minutes to get her to jump off."

"What a pain in the ass."

I sighed and shook my head, trying to clear it of worry. "Okay. I'll try not to think about it. If Devon can't get to the station today, I'll go myself and report him missing. Other than that, I can't really do anything about it anyway."

"Exactly. So just relax." Jess nudged me again, jostling me off the counter. "Let's keep prepping, and you can help me decide what to say to Paul when I call him today."

"You haven't told Paul you're leaving yet?" Paul was our manager. He hardly ever came into the shop, unless there was a really big problem.

"Not yet..." Jess looked sheepish. "Besides, I felt bad."

"Well you should feel bad, now you're abandoning me and who knows when he'll get around to hiring a replacement!" I tsked and started arranging the pastries in the glass display case.

"Ugh, I know. Sorry, sorry. I'll convince mom to make you more chocolate muffins. And you can have a free drink when you come visit me at Underworld."

"Hah, that might not happen again," I said skeptically. "Don't you remember Liam saying very firmly that I shouldn't ever go back?"

"Oh, he was just worried about your safety. As long as you're careful and don't wander off alone, you'll be fine."