Dez awoke to his alarm blaring in his ear. Yawning, he stretched lazily to turn it off, glaring at how early it was. It took him more than a moment to recall how he'd gotten to bed and what was going on that day, but when his mind finally caught up, he stood up abruptly, changing in a hurry and glancing downstairs to see the bags they'd left were still there. He had time. Tugging the other half of his shirt over his body, he finished changing and quickly joined the others, trying not to worry too heavily over what the future held. On the bright side, if he died today, he wouldn't have to worry about his sister anymore.
'Silver lining,' he chuckled to himself darkly.
~x~
Holding the supplies from yesterday, Dez sauntered up to the others, bobbing from one foot to another in an antsy dance, his nerved getting the better of him. With no hands free, he couldn't let out the nervous energy by tapping, so tapping his feet with the occasional scuffle was the best he could do under the circumstances. Despite his nerves though, he felt surprisingly well rested. Following the others onto the bus, he nearly threw his money at the driver this time, exact change in hand in preparation. Didn't need his money spilling across the isles like they previously. Flopping the bag next to him in a seat close to the others, he began tapping almost instantly, combining the scuff of his shoes to make a steady beat, a slurry of sounds that almost sounded good together, but not quite on the crowded bus, his nerved only growing the closer they got to the mall. It didn't help that this was a busy time of day. There was no telling how many people they'd be responsible for. His muscles tensed in his seat at the thought, tongue clicking as the mental image crossed his mind. He shivered.
'It… It'll be okay,' he half attempted to convince himself, failing miserably, his fist tightening around the bag next to him. He just hoped he knew enough to keep people safe.
~x~
Cal awoke with a start, Ro's alarm catching her off guard. She hadn't realized it, but she'd fallen asleep next to the girl in her bed that night, Ro's delicate arms draped lightly around Cal's exposed waist, her shirt having rode up at some point within the night. Her skin still tingled, but Cal couldn't help but marvel at the control Ro had on her ability. Even asleep, she was able to maintain a low level of energy. She could feel it in waves, swelling and rippling against her skin like the ebb and flow of a tide. Back and forth, but still balanced somehow. If anything, Cal found the sensation oddly soothing and found it difficult to shift away from the girl as she got up to tap the alarm. Ro groaned beside her, rubbing her eyes with a large yawn, her hair sticking up in a large blue tuft.
Cal snickered at the other, pushing her feet out of bed and stretching, shoulder popping lightly with the movement. Ro stuck her tongue out at the other, throwing the blankets off of her body and rushing off the tidy herself up in the bathroom. Cal couldn't help but notice how remarkably similar her hair looked to cotton candy at that exact moment. It was oddly relaxing, something Cal wasn't used to. Checking Ro's phone, she frowned.
'That certainly didn't last long,' she thought, noticing a text from her brother.
'Headed to the mall. Gonna be the bomb. lol' he'd typed, adding an emoji for a bit of flair at the end, though it was obvious he was trying to make light of the situation.
'Be sa…' Cal started the type, backpedalling and instead clicking the phone, her heart starting to pound as it rang. It'd taken her a moment to recall the threat from days before. She only hoped Charles was there to help mitigate and keep people safe.
"Hello?"
"Dez…" Cal breathed, surprisingly breathless in her haste. She hadn't planned on what she was going to say.
"Callé…" Dez sighed, relief in his voice. Glancing up at the others on the bus, he turned his head to look out the window, leaning over for a big more privacy.
"Where are you?" he asked, a bit frantic.
"Downtown… I um…" she struggled.
"I'm with a friend… Sorry… for scaring you. I just needed some space," she said, struggling to find the words she wanted to say. Dez nodded to himself, able to smile in that moment as he listened to his sister, thankful that she was alright. It took him a moment to realize she couldn't see the motion. Speaking up again, he laughed.
"I'm… glad you're okay…" he admitted.
"Roland and I spent all day looking for you and—"
"Dez… where are you?" she cut him off, his voice drowned out by the suspension of the bus as it stopped abruptly. Three stops to go before they reached the mall.
"I already told you," he huffed, shifting in his seat awkwardly glancing back at the others and back at the window next to him.
"Please… be careful," she struggled again.
"There's no use coming home if you aren't there…" she added forlornly.
"R-right," he coughed, watching as the bus loomed ever closer to their destination, his stomach giving an uncomfortable squeeze.
"How long?"
"Until…?" he asked, frowning.
"How long until the party?" she asked in a hushed tone, "I heard it is going to be the bomb," she added, emphasizing the final word.
Dez nodded in understanding at this.
"Not… sure" he stated glumly, checking his phone for the time only to give a defeated sigh when it wouldn't stop shaking in his hand.
"Where will you be?" she asked, moving faster now, bot bothering to look at her reflection as she passed a mirror and threw on her pants from the day before. Ro had allowed her to wash her clothes there, so they were still nice and crisp.
"What? No. Stay there!" he said, panic rising in his chest again. It was bad enough they were going, but he knew he wouldn't be able to focus with Cal there.
"Fuck no. I'm not letting you do this on your own," she hissed, holding the phone between her ear and shoulder as she shoved an arm through her jacket.
"Ro!" She called. "I need a ride to the mall!"
"Ah… right now?" she whined.
'I can't have you getting into trouble just yet…' she thought, popping her head out of the bathroom long enough to give Cal a tired look, hair still a mess.
'I told Ven I'd keep an eye on you~' she thought to herself, staring hard at the girl for a long moment.
"Sorry… it's kind of urgent. Dez is… going to explode if I don't meet up with him today," she said. Ro grumbled to herself, turning on the shower and shutting the door.
"Subtle," he said on the other line, leaning his head back in the seat as he listened to his sister talk to whoever her new 'friend' was, eyes closing for a moment as he resisted the urge to hang up on her.
"Seriously, Dez, where should I—"
The bus came to a shaking halt, and Dez stood up abruptly, grabbing for the bag as everyone began to shuffle for the exit.
"Food court, be late, he said, hurriedly. "Gotta go…. love you," he said, hanging up the phone.
"Love you t—" but the phone cut Cal off. She set it aside, sighing as she continued to gather her things. it didn't take long, but unfortunately for her, Ro's shower did, delaying by 20 minutes, and then an additional 20 because she needed coffee before her day began. Cal struggled not to reveal her urgency.
"Rooooooo~" She whined, handing her girl her phone back, shoving her towards the door.
"Cool your jets… seriously… what're you in such a rush for all of a sudden?"
"He just sounded really upset, and—"
"So? That didn't matter yesterday, so why would—?"
"I'm just worried, okay… I don't think he's been taking care of himself while I've been gone…" she said, shutting the door behind them.
Ro gave the girl another tired once over, shaking her head and shrugging, defeated.
"Like you can talk," she said, sighing to herself.
"I need to stop by the bank first," she added.
Cal tense, struggling not to lose her patience on the girl on that exact moment.
"Then the mall?" she asked, trying her best not the let the edge in her voice show.
"Then the mall," Ro agreed, giving the girl a bright smile as she buckled her seat belt. 'Can't have you interrupting the plan prematurely, can we~' she hummed to herself as she started the car.