The Hero's Call | original story

Chapter 1

You know, I'll never understand other abilities to navigate through one of the busiest cities in the world and still manage to keep a successful phone conversation. To me, it seems careless. Between the endless tourists, the frigid businessmen, and the thousands of street vendors, the city itself is near impossible to navigate even when a pointless phone call is not distracting you.

"I know Mel, I just don't see the point in the stress. It's just for one night." Her voice continues to drone on in my ear as I make my way down Metropolitan Ave, my feet aching with relief as my shop comes into sight. The large, blue pastel sign hanging out ground always brings a wave of relief, especially on a dreary day like today, when the sky is overcast, it seems as though the heavens will open up and drown us any second. Mellisa Brown continues to ramble into the phone, stuck in her own little crisis of picking what handbag to accompany her to the annual military ball tomorrow night. A tradition for both of us, having both our father in the military. Melissa and I both lived the "army brat"life together, constantly being shuffled around. Through our schooling on multiple basis, in multiple states, we continued to thrive through our reliance on each other. So, despite how big of a pain in the ass she is, my ear is all her to talk off.

"It's not just 'one night', Lil, it is one of the most important night of the year for both of our families, and I'll be damned if I go to that party clashing like a clown at a funeral." I have to stifle my laughter as I dig through my bag for my keys. The worn metal slides into the rusty lock, and with a small push I am able to get the door open. The smell of cinnamon and canvas fills my nose the minute I stepped inside, and the bright atmosphere instantly brightens my mood. Multiple canvases and photos line the wall. More recent photography display are primarily placed up front, as well as formats of different packages. The shop has been open for over two years, primarily focused on photography for special events such as weddings or children's photo shoots, but more often than not, others will come in looking for more abstract piece for and office or home decor. The black and white skylines of the city seem to be in high demand, and as much as I curse the tourists up and down, I seem to have to thank them for keeping me in successful business.

"Good morning Jess!" I greet her at the front, my fellow owner and assistant. She smiles at me, handing me a file for today. Dropping my things on my desk chair, I immediately get to work firing up the computer, sliding in the memory card containing all the photos of the McCallister wedding.

"Just go with the gold one. It always goes with your dress, but you haven't used it enough in the last year for it to be tacky being used again." She lets out a sigh of agreement.

"You're right, per usual. I'll let you get to work. See you tomorrow night." I hit the end call button, sighing in relief as I turn on the soft music saved in my favorite playlists. Clicking open the file, I smile softly as I scroll through the countless photos of bride and groom smiling brightly at each other, a look of total adoration clear on their faces. I go through each section, clearing the obviously awful ones of people blinking or looking the wrong way, as well as a few rowdy ones that seemed to have made it in there with an unfortunate groomsmen and brides grandmother. The ones requiring the most editing, like filter shifts and changes to saturation take the most, but within a few hours I was able to tweak them to perfection. The shop remains steadily busy, and a handful of customers coming in to book appointments or pick up an order. By the time lunch rolls around, I can say I am satisfied with the day. When I'm finally able to tear my eyes away from the computer screen, to my dismay, it looks like the downpour has officially begun. I sigh, weighing my options about what I would like to do in terms of food. Sal's diner is only about two blocks away, and with my hood up and a steady pace it might not be too bad. Gathering my coat, I slide my arms into the worn sleeves, throwing up my hood as I push in my chair.

"I'm going to Sals, do you want anything?" She shakes her head, not even glancing up from her computer.

"No, I'll probably head home after I finish up this case. I can close up early if you want to head straight home after Sals." I smile, grabbing my bag from its hook.

"Yeah, that would be awesome, thanks. I'll see you tomorrow ." She waves as I push the door open, stepping into the rain. The cold spray hits me in the face, but I simply put my head down and make my way up the street. Cars speed past, and it seems the weather is contributing to the infamous cranky attitude of the New Yorkers scrambling through the streets, shoving each other in attempts to get out of the rain quicker. A taxi goes by, running through a puddle and splashing the bottom half of my jeans.

"Fuck," I mutter, pulling further into the corner of the sidewalk, inspecting the damage of my now soaking wet ankle. Someone bumps not me harshly, sending me back towards the edge of the sidewalk. I roll my eyes, continuing to make my way towards Sal'. The once crowded street has slowly begun to thin out. As the light for the crosswalk turns green, I step over a puddle, narrowly missing yet another one in front of me. Someone runs past me, knocking harshly into my shoulder as they do. I stumble a bit, losing my footing as I attempt to gather my surroundings again.

I don't even see the car.