before we passed the corner and saw Ralph moving and patting his jacket.
“Will he remember anything?” I asked.
“No, they usually don’t even remember the last few minutes before the stone.”
“I bet those farmer’s market people won’t forget.”
Mark smiled and swung my hand with his. “Where to now, m’lady?”
I squeezed his hand and pulled on it. “I bet we can use this second one at Mindy’s Café.”
“Are you trying to get me on a date?” he asked.
I looked away. I hadn’t thought of this as being a date. Maybe it was, but being with Mark and using the stones felt like we were on top of the world. We could go anywhere together and succeed. We just needed to create the right one for the right moment and maybe we could change things for the better, one apple thief at a time.
We jogged across the intersection to Mindy’s Café. People were bustling around the entrance and the waiting line looked as long as usual. I took the second stone from my pocket and pinched it between my fingers. This would be quick and easy, just some harmless fun.
“This should be good,” Mark said.
I jumped over the curb and onto the sidewalk. A few people were smoking outside, while more were crowded near the door holding their buzzers. I searched for a spot past the door. The waiting people parted to let a group leave the café. I used this opening and tossed the stone on the ground. It skipped across the sidewalk and onto the tiled floor of the waiting area. I lost sight of it and wondered if it wasn’t working. Mark had said it would crack after a few jumps.
Then I heard the first scream. I shot a look to Mark, but he kept his attention on the crowd. This wasn’t right; something was wrong. The moving throng of people turned toward the scream and I squinted, trying to find out what had happened. A young woman wearing flip-flops continued to scream and stumbled out the front door with one large, swollen leg. I stared at her face and recognized her. She was one of the Dolls Bridget hung with, Kerri. She made eye contact with me and the fear and pain in her eyes made me gasp.
She reached down, touched her swelling leg and fell over face-first onto the sidewalk.
I rushed to Kerri’s side and examined her leg. It looked as if someone had injected gallons of water underneath her skin. Her chest moved up and down and she mumbled in her unconscious state. This wasn’t right; this wasn’t supposed to happen. It was a mist stone. It was just supposed to create water vapor mist and freak a few people out. It must have made contact with her foot and now her leg was swollen.
“We’d better go,” Mark said.
I stood just as two men rushed to her side, grabbing at her wrist.
“I think she’s in anaphylactic shock,” one of them said. “Does anyone know what she ate?”
An older couple pushed through the crowd.
“Kerri,” the woman said. “Oh my god, what happened?” She plunged to her knees and pulled at Kerri’s arm.
“People, give her some room,” the man said as he stood.
The crowd spread out and I lost sight of Kerri lying on the sidewalk as people moved up in front of me to get a better look at the spectacle.
Mark pulled at me, but I pulled back and turned to him. “Can’t we do anything?”
“She’ll be fine in a little bit. We should go,” he whispered.
He pulled again and I reluctantly complied. We walked through the thinning crowd as people’s curiosity drew them toward the incident.
“What was that stone, Mark? ‘Cause that sure as hell wasn’t mist.”
“I don’t know what happened. It was just a cloud stone. It should have been harmless. Maybe we got the mixture wrong?”
“You sure she’s going to be okay?”
Mark looked back at the crowd. “Yeah, the effect usually only lasts for a short period of time on someone.”
I breathed in some relief. The last thing I wanted was a person’s death on my hands. We cut back onto the road and headed toward our houses. Passing
“Will he remember anything?” I asked.
“No, they usually don’t even remember the last few minutes before the stone.”
“I bet those farmer’s market people won’t forget.”
Mark smiled and swung my hand with his. “Where to now, m’lady?”
I squeezed his hand and pulled on it. “I bet we can use this second one at Mindy’s Café.”
“Are you trying to get me on a date?” he asked.
I looked away. I hadn’t thought of this as being a date. Maybe it was, but being with Mark and using the stones felt like we were on top of the world. We could go anywhere together and succeed. We just needed to create the right one for the right moment and maybe we could change things for the better, one apple thief at a time.
We jogged across the intersection to Mindy’s Café. People were bustling around the entrance and the waiting line looked as long as usual. I took the second stone from my pocket and pinched it between my fingers. This would be quick and easy, just some harmless fun.
“This should be good,” Mark said.
I jumped over the curb and onto the sidewalk. A few people were smoking outside, while more were crowded near the door holding their buzzers. I searched for a spot past the door. The waiting people parted to let a group leave the café. I used this opening and tossed the stone on the ground. It skipped across the sidewalk and onto the tiled floor of the waiting area. I lost sight of it and wondered if it wasn’t working. Mark had said it would crack after a few jumps.
Then I heard the first scream. I shot a look to Mark, but he kept his attention on the crowd. This wasn’t right; something was wrong. The moving throng of people turned toward the scream and I squinted, trying to find out what had happened. A young woman wearing flip-flops continued to scream and stumbled out the front door with one large, swollen leg. I stared at her face and recognized her. She was one of the Dolls Bridget hung with, Kerri. She made eye contact with me and the fear and pain in her eyes made me gasp.
She reached down, touched her swelling leg and fell over face-first onto the sidewalk.
I rushed to Kerri’s side and examined her leg. It looked as if someone had injected gallons of water underneath her skin. Her chest moved up and down and she mumbled in her unconscious state. This wasn’t right; this wasn’t supposed to happen. It was a mist stone. It was just supposed to create water vapor mist and freak a few people out. It must have made contact with her foot and now her leg was swollen.
“We’d better go,” Mark said.
I stood just as two men rushed to her side, grabbing at her wrist.
“I think she’s in anaphylactic shock,” one of them said. “Does anyone know what she ate?”
An older couple pushed through the crowd.
“Kerri,” the woman said. “Oh my god, what happened?” She plunged to her knees and pulled at Kerri’s arm.
“People, give her some room,” the man said as he stood.
The crowd spread out and I lost sight of Kerri lying on the sidewalk as people moved up in front of me to get a better look at the spectacle.
Mark pulled at me, but I pulled back and turned to him. “Can’t we do anything?”
“She’ll be fine in a little bit. We should go,” he whispered.
He pulled again and I reluctantly complied. We walked through the thinning crowd as people’s curiosity drew them toward the incident.
“What was that stone, Mark? ‘Cause that sure as hell wasn’t mist.”
“I don’t know what happened. It was just a cloud stone. It should have been harmless. Maybe we got the mixture wrong?”
“You sure she’s going to be okay?”
Mark looked back at the crowd. “Yeah, the effect usually only lasts for a short period of time on someone.”
I breathed in some relief. The last thing I wanted was a person’s death on my hands. We cut back onto the road and headed toward our houses. Passing
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