The Calling (DrTrollinski & Zhai)

[DrTrollinski]

"I manage to be so benevolent because I'm simply plain-fuckin'-amazing, that's why." He grinned. "Now, let's go." He smiled and then lead her out of the motel room. God, fresh air was actually really nice. It was better than being cooped up in that motel room, that was for sure. Once Carl had the place all locked up, he went back down the steps outside and handed the key back, signed them both out, and then turned to walk towards the diner with Mia. Yeah. She wasn't getting out of eating this morning. She needed something after eating a rabbit's meal.


"Mia. I don't care what you say. You are having some breakfast, and you're not having rabbit food again, alright? I mean, look at me, I eat like a pig sometimes, yet I can jog for an hour and not get too tired or out of breath, I've got muscle like Hulk Hogan, and a body like... Arnold Schwarzenegger. Just less old." He grinned a little and then made sure that Mia was keeping pace. "Now, the thing about your rabbit food is that its not got enough energy in it to last you." He explained. "You know, with one piece of lettuce, if you eat it in a certain way, you'll actually lose more energy than you'll actually gain from it? Yeah, that's what it's doing to you." He smirked and gently patted her shoulder.


"Please. Eat something. Even if it's only a couple of pancakes or a slice of toast, or a bowl of cereal - whatever. Please. Just eat something, Mia... We've got a long day ahead of us." He said, sighing a little. "Come on... Eat something, and while we're sitting down enjoying a nice civil conversation and I'll explain to you what my plan is, and if we can't find a taxi company around here, we'll ask for a cab company number that's local. If not, we'll hitch a ride with a trucker, or something." He said. "And, I hate to go all sentimental, but I'll also tell you what I think life's all about - You don't hear that from me. Ever." He smirked. "Come on, at least one slice of toast and some jam? A cup of coffee, tea? Please?" He asked. He was hungry himself, but he worried about Mia. He wanted her to eat something.

 

[Zhai]

There's so many people in one small place. It's a wonder they aren't all irritated being this close to each other, especially in combination with this heat! Goddamn, it was hot out here. Mia hadn't really noticed it when she came out the first time but now it was hard to miss. She was breathing heat and the short walk from their room, down the stairs, to the main office had worked up a thin sweat across her forehead.


That guy from earlier was still smoking and once again when she passed he stopped, pulled his cigarette from his mouth, and watched her walk away. So he was kind of cute but Mia wasn't in the mood to chat him up. Her eyes were too busy looking for Lydia, Travis or the blue truck, and with the shades masking her attention, it was easier to freely look around without looking paranoid.


The lady behind the counter who checked them out looked like she was going to say something. Maybe about Carl's fat lip and shades on her face indoors. What if she thought they had some wild night or something? Mia was sure the woman would send house keeping up there to check and make sure they hadn't smeared anything across the walls, stolen towels, and the television was still bolted in place.


The short walk from the motel to the diner, Mia was listening to her brother and looking around. Not necessarily just for Lydia but just at the numerous people standing every which way, doing nothing or doing something. Did people really just hang out at rest stops? She could smell a thick mixture of smoke, diner food, gas, and boiled peanuts. Apparently, people did hang out at rest stops.


"Oh please! I bet you don't even have a ab on your stomach or a hair on your chest, Carl! You've barely got a bicep to squeeze, guy. You're more like...Robin, Batman's tiny boy side kick, but you keeping working on all this.." Mia's hands made a hovering motion over Carl's body and smiled, "...then you can be Batman."


Oh boy. The diner looks packed. All the seats by the window were taken and the bar side stools were filled. The line outside the diner must be to get in. Mia signed and her bag slipped off one shoulder, hanging just by the other shoulder. Barely. She didn't want to eat but she didn't want to stand in the heat either. There seemed to be more waitresses today, too. No Sally, but two Sally types in there, moving back and forth with coffee pots in their hands. There was a guy with a leaning chef's hat running to and from the kitchen with boxes in his hand. Mia guessed they must be doing to-go orders since the inside was so full.


"That's a shame. What next, Hulk?"

 

[DrTrollinski]

Carl looked at the guy that stopped smoking to stare at Mia, and shot him a look that sort of told him to stay away. It wasn't aggressive, but it was a very disapproving look - Even if Mia was interested in this man, he knew some things that would make him never want to speak to Mia again. Ever. He looked over the guy, taking a few deep breaths as they stepped towards the diner, and instantly picked up a few things from him that really did put him off.


1. He was a smoker.


2. He was easily several years older than her.


3. He was probably a redneck.


4. If Mia showed interest or tried anything, she'd be a massive hypocrite.


5. He was probably redneck.


6. He was a smoker.


Yeah. Carl wasn't a fan of smoking, and he wasn't exactly huge on drinking, either. Sure, he'd accept a beer from his dad at a party, or something, but he'd never ever ever agree to smoking a cigarette. He wasn't that sort of person, quite simply, and he doubted that he ever would be. Why would he smoke, exactly? Why would he want to put something alien and poisonous to his body into his mouth and into his system? Carl wanted to be healthy, and if he saw anyone smoking around him, he either told them to go outside (if it was inside a house) or he'd get as far away from them as he could while holding his breath. Yeah. He was a real freak when it came to dealing with smokers. It was a bit like his gym routine, even if he was on the tightest schedule on one of his gym days, he'd still make the time to get to the gym, even if it was only for thirty minutes.


He was trying to compensate for something, but it was hard to determine what it was. He always wanted to be healthy, thin, and well-built. He didn't ever picture himself any different, and if he ever even got remotely close to changing, he'd do everything he could to reverse the effect (which left him in a bad state of health at a few points) - Mother worried. Father worried. Mrs Greene worried. And Mia probably worried, too, but there wasn't much they could say that would actually talk him out of it or convince him just to ease up.


If he wasn't in shape. He wasn't Carl.


He wasn't Carl if he didn't have Mia, either. Mia was a little more important to him, obviously.


"Heh, don't you worry about my stomach muscle, alright. I've got a nice little six-pack underway." He said, a tad defensively, but it was all with good heart. "And my biceps? If I tense those guns, it'll be like trying to squeeze solid iron, okay?" He winked. Well, that was true to an extent, but he didn't do weights. "Look, Mia... I'm not a body-builder. I focus more on cardiovascular. I rarely hit the weights." He chuckled. "Plus... By the time I'm good enough to be Batman, I'll already have a little Robin as my sidekick - And that little Robin is the guy that's gonna' call you 'Aunt Mia'." He smiled as he reached over and poked her chest. Ah, that was quite a nice thought midst all this chaos. Aunt Mia really made Mia sound old, didn't it?


When he saw the diner, he shrugged, spun Mia around by the shoulder, and then pointed off towards the town. A short walk of maybe ten minutes.


Cardiovascular, like I said.


"Right. In that case, we're walking into town and finding a little diner there. It'll be less desirable over in that area." He shrugged. "Once we get there, I'll talk to you more about what my plan is, because you never know what we'll find in town. We might find something that'll change everything entirely. But that... can be discussed while we eat." He smiled and kicked his legs off into motion.

 

[Zhai]

"Cardio my ass. Is that what you're going to teach Jenna to do at the gym?" She smiled and poked her brother back in the chest. "Besides, I'm pretty sure your six pack in the making isn't going to be as good as mine when I'm done with it." Mia patted her stomach, smiling proudly at how flat and tight it was. There weren't an abs there yet but she did every ab workout she could find online in the confines of her room. Both determined to be in shape and not get fat during the school breaks. There were a number of girls she'd returned to school with after the Summer only to find they'd gained weight. Plus, Mother didn't old her tongue if Mia gained weight; it was apparent that appearance was important to Mother when Mia turned nine and had a small gut. So small. Mother cut down her snacks, how much food she ate, no sodas, no sweets. That time was rough and Mia carried it with her.


"More. Walking." Mia sighed, ragged and exaggerated, her head falling back at the thought of more walking. In this heat. And on an empty stomach that was getting emptier by the second. Even though she didn't want some huge meal, she wasn't expecting not to eat entirely. Carl was talking about more walking to another diner that he didn't even know was in whatever town was however long down the road. Mia had to wonder how Carl knew all this and she was beginning to think either he was making it up or he'd read something somewhere. Surely he hadn't spoken to someone because she was around him the whole time and the television in the motel room didn't even have a power cord to it; so he didn't watch it on a commercial.


Interested in how he could possibly be so confident that they won't walk ten minutes down the road only to find that there is no town, or have to turn around and walk twenty back the other way - Mia decided to challenge him. She stood in front of Carl, hands folded across her chest and her head tilted in question. "How can you be so sure? How do you know we won't walk ten minutes down this stupid road and end up at the edge of Lydia's driveway?"

 

[DrTrollinski]

"I'll teach Jenna something about cardiovascular, if you know what I mean." He winked and then laughed a little, patting his stomach in response. "Look, my stomach's just like yours - You need to stop eating all that fucking salad and eat something proper. Look at me, I eat like any other teenager, and yet, I'm healthy, thin, and all the rest of it." He said, smiling a little bit. The best part was, he was going to take that comment to heart. He wanted muscle to build up. He wanted to all of a sudden be this hulk that he thought Mia already saw him as. That comment... Damn, that comment stuck to him like glue, even though he could see the humor behind it.


Now he was going to be working to build muscle. Extensively. Uh-oh.


"You do worry me, Mia... Every time we go out, you eat salad. Your idea of a meal out consists of something I'd feed to a rabbit... You need to stop worrying so much. Christ, I know I obsess about being healthy, but that ain't what it's all about. You can eat normally without being on some crap diet that looks plain depressing." He sighed a little. "You should honestly let yourself go and just enjoy yourself a little. Just because mom wants you to be some woman who ends up weighing the same as a ten-year-old doesn't mean that you have to be. Christ. I remember what she did when we were younger, Mia. She was a freak about it... You should think about what you want, too." He said.


"I just know, alright? Look, Lydia's house is back the other way... Just trust me, alright? You said you trusted me, so trust me. We're gonna' be fine. We're gonna' get into town, find a little diner, have something to eat, and then hunt around for a ride out of here. It's going to be a simple as that." He smiled and shrugged.


"By the way. A six pack is really unattractive on a woman - Just saying." He said. Yeah, that was his view. Big deal. Sure, if they were athletes, it was different... But he didn't think it was necessary for women to want that sort of thing, for them to feel like they needed to look like they were stronger, and all that. He never looked for that in a girl, not ever.

 

[Zhai]

Carl's comment about teaching Jenna some cardio didn't need a comment back, and Mia wasn't going to say anything. Instead she smiled sheepishly at his remark and mentally wrote a note to tell Jenna to watch out for Carl the next time they're alone and he offers to teach her something. It was amazing that at fourteen Carl was already thinking about waking up to breakfast with Jenna but he was putting off his session with the school counselor on his future. Grades. College. Life long career. Mia did hers and although her interview sheet was blank, she at least went.


"I like salad, Carl. It's easy, cheap, and it's impossibly mess up a Cesar salad, y'know? Unless you're making it. You'd probably mess it up." Mia smiled a little and patted her brother's shoulder. "Plus, Jenna likes salad. She gets salad at lunch everyday. Just like me." She wasn't lying about that. Jenna got in the same salad bar line as she did, nearly at the exact time everyday. Mia could recall that they even nearly got the same things on their salad - a Cesar style with some diced ham on it and extra dressing. Jenna got cheese and onions on her salad. Mia wondering if Carl knew that. Would he be chewing out Jenna the same way he was doing her now if he knew?


Hearing Carl's reasoning for why he knew the town was this way without ever being there - Mia once again gingerly smiled and remained quiet, nodding at his insistence. If he knew, he knew; she would just follow him. "Alright, GPS Carl. Lead the way."


Plus - women having a six pack not sexy? Mia frowned a little at his comment and felt her stomach again. Well that was a low blow if she ever had one. Well second low blow. The first was him telling her she looked like shit but that was all in good fun. Mia knew this was serious, even if he smiled through it; if she had a six pack, he'd think a little less of her beauty wise. Whatever. Carl wasn't looking at her stomach anyways but she still felt that if Carl didn't like, other guys didn't. Okay, six pack dream killed. Now Mia would just focus on getting bigger boobs instead.

 

[DrTrollinski]

He listened and sighed a little. He didn't know what to say. He knew some things, though, and his views were quite strong, very much like his father's views. He wasn't quite as extreme as dear old dad, but he was certainly one to express something and make an argument out of something if he saw the chance. Sure, he didn't mind if Mia and Jenna wanted to eat salad, he really couldn't care, but... He wasn't sure who was more obsessed with health. Mia just didn't eat anything.


"I know... It might be cheap and easy and so on - That's not the point, though. A prostitute's cheap and easy, but you don't see every man or woman running to grab one of them after every night of work." He smirked a little and shrugged. "In all honesty, though, that's not the point - Salad is just a--.. It's fine for lunch, okay? I won't deny that... But... Last night, you got a fuckin' salad at nearly one o'clock in the morning - That isn't healthy. You're just--.. It ain't right. That sort of diet isn't balanced, it's just--.. I just worry about you, that's all... Life ain't about finding everything that's cheap and easy... You--.. Sometimes I think it's important to... Let it go a little, you know?" He sighed and scratched the back of his head, continuing to lead her into the town. There was a town down in the distance, just like Carl had said, and it was definitely going to be a lot easier to find a taxi down there.


Hopefully.


"I know I ain't dad... Hell, I might be like him, but... I ain't him. I ain't mom. I ain't Missus Greene... I'm just Carl." He said. "But... Just Carl cares about you, okay? I--.. I think you should stop worrying so much about health - I mean, don't get me wrong, keep up exercise, don't go crazy with food, but... Please... When we go to Nandos, when you see something on the menu that you like... For Christ's sake, go for it. When you see some pancakes that Missus Greene made... Instead of going for the fruit some days, go for the pancakes..." He took a deep breath. "And... It might not be your thing, but... When you get the chance... I think you should try and talk to one of the guys at school, maybe someone you like... I mean--.. I'd--.. I'd love to see you have a boyfriend, I--.. but don't feel like you need to do that okay? I mean, just--.." He shook his head. "Please... Think about what I've said."


He continued walking for a few more minutes and gulped down his sadness a couple of times along the way.


".. Also... About the 'let it go a little' thing... Don't do that too much. The last time I did that, mom thought I had Bipolar Disorder." He blinked a couple of times. He just wanted to get to the town. He didn't want to speak anymore. He didn't want her to feel the same as he did. He didn't sound aggressive when he spoke, either, so he hoped that she'd just think about it for a while.


Oh, and the thing about Bipolar? That was true. It only happened about a year ago.

 

[Zhai]

This conversation was taking way too many turns for Mia, and she was eager to get out of it. It started out talking about the motel, the diner, muscles, salad, and now a boyfriend. Mia held her hands up in her own defense as well as surrender to Carl. "Okay, okay. I'll stop eating salad, get a boyfriend, and get a little fat, okay?" Mia smiled and walked a little faster than Carl was, hoping he'd get the hint to drop the conversation or at least change it to something else. They could be talking about the weather, the tourist, the forest, the fact that there was no sidewalk, or even Carl could let her in on his super secret plan of action. If he even had one. Stop it, Mia. No doubting your brother. He's got it all worked out. Carl's got it under control.


Sticking with her increased pace she looked around and noticed that they weren't the only people walking on the road like it was everyday. Ahead of them there was a couple it looks like, hand in hand, walking between the grass and pavement. On the opposite side of the road, there were more people sprinkled at various distances, walking both in the grass and pavement. Behind them, she could see there were a few people also walking the road's edge. So they weren't crazy to walk on the road and there might be something down here worth walking for after all.


Back to the couple in front - Mia couldn't help but watch them, curious as to why they were walking hand in hand in this heat. Her hands were already moist and she wasn't even holding hands with anyone. The girl leaned against her boyfriend and they touched heads, holding it for a few seconds before separating and laughing so loudly, Mia felt like she was right beside them. Okay, Carl thinks she should have a boyfriend huh? Interesting. He hated every person that looked at her and he was now suggesting she get a boyfriend. A guy who would look at her, touch her, kiss her, and more. It would probably drive Carl up the wall, through the roof, and into the Moon.


Besides, one of them having a girlfriend was enough. Mia was content with Carl having Jenna, and Mia having her work to keep her busy. With all of the activities she has her hand in at school, she'd have no time for anything else. Well..had her hand in at school. By now her spot had been filled and they'd forgotten her name. Maybe Mia wouldn't fight to get back in those spots.


Ahead of them, the couple turns off somewhere. Down another road. There's people coming from that road, as well, running across the main street to walk the opposite way back to the rest stop. "We must be close. There's people coming from that street...you were right, Carl."

 

[DrTrollinski]

Carl noticed how she brushed off the conversation and finished it straight away. He wasn't happy with that. He was just trying to get a point across as nicely as he could, and now he'd been... I don't know, I guess that he felt insulted due to the fact that he just opened up and tried to express care, and now it was being brushed off as some way to take a dig at Mia. No. That wasn't what it was. That wasn't it at all.


"Fuck's sake." He whispered to himself under his breath. ".. I didn't mean it like that, Mia..." He said to her, closing his eyes for a moment as he bowed his head towards the ground. That was that. He wasn't saying anything else towards anything. He just wanted to walk. That was all. He stayed silent for most of the way into the town, right up until the point that they got onto Main St. Yep. This town was tiny, that was for sure.


On main street there were loads of little establishments - Tailors, crappy electronic stores, clothes, charity stores, oh, and a couple of diners. One of them looked awful, but the other looked just as good as the one up at the service station. Yeah, this would do, and Carl figured that it was time to talk now. Everyone knew that whenever Carl went quiet like this, he wasn't trying to be obnoxious - it was just one of his things he did whenever he was upset. He always did it from a young age (since he was about four) - If he was upset with something, be it himself or someone else, he'd become very quiet and any answers he gave to people would be short. He wasn't one to create conversation when he was in this mood.


Hopefully once they'd had breakfast he'd be in a better mood. At least then they could start making some progress on finding their parents. He just wanted to get away from this town - It's what he wanted to do last night. He planned to get a cab to the next town so that they could eat and stay there without having any risks of Lydia even coming close.


".. We'll go eat there." He said as he nodded towards the nicer looking diner.. ".. My treat... I've got enough money to last us here and in the next town." He said, shrugging a little as he buried his hands in his pockets and made his way off towards the diner. He wasn't starving, but he did need something to eat. He didn't know how he didn't throw up during the night after everything he'd ate.

 

[Zhai]

The town looks like something a movie would be filmed on, like a cardboard set or something. All of the buildings look nearly exactly the same across the front, the streets are all neatly paved and even, and the people even look...fake. Mia had to smile at how set up the town looks. Their town wasn't like this at all, and it made Mia miss it even more. Their town was more modern in every way, and as far as Mia could see there wasn't even a traffic light in this town. She was prepared to keep walking when she heard Carl say something. He'd found the diner, huh? Mia turned to look at it, in her mind imaging the smallish place as Nandos instead.


The inside of the diner doesn't look as sketchy as the outside to say the least. It's at least clean inside, smells like food has actually been cooked, and the waitress at least smiles when they walk in, but she wasn't Sally. The waitress puts two menus down on the bar side and turns back to the opposite counter, thumbing through a magazine and smacking on a piece of gum. Mia didn't stop walking, took the the two menus off the bar side, and slide into the nearest booth. She wouldn't have minded sitting at the bar side and eating, but just because the waitress was rude - she'd sit far away.


Mia waited for Carl to sit down, slide him a menu, and started to look at hers. "Well this is that diner was the rest stop. At least Sally was nice." Mia smiled, shrugged, and looked down at her own menu. Hmm, there were some good things on the front but when she turned it around - blank. "The other diner can more food, too." Okay, Mia. No complaining. Take what you get, right? "Do you know what you want?" She didn't even know what she wanted and decided to piggy back off of whatever Carl ordered. Since there wasn't salad on this menu and she was supposed to be turning over a new leaf anyways. No more rabbit food - Carl's voice echoed in her head.

 

[DrTrollinski]

When he arrived inside, he couldn't help but grimace as he looked around. The waitress didn't even mutter a word to them, and Carl was still in quite a bad mood. He didn't want to be here, not in the slightest, but he was hungry. They both were, and if it was up to him, Mia would be given a whole fucking buffet if it meant keeping her away from salad. At least they'd be getting something in their stomachs, that was the main thing.


"Pancakes, please. Six of 'em... Make it two plates of three, please." He said. "A jug of syrup, as well. Please." He said to the waitress as she poured his coffee. Black coffee. For some reason, he wanted a drink that was as bitter as he felt right now. He waited after he sat down, sipping his coffee. It was nice to have a hot drink, but he just hoped that this one wouldn't flush his bladder out like the five cups he drank last night did.


As soon as the two plates of pancakes were brought over, the waitress not saying another word, he nodded at her as thanks and then took the jug of syrup and poured some all over his pancakes. He was a little upset that he wasn't getting all six to himself, but... It meant a lot to him for Mia to have something that wasn't leaves and vegetables with some shitty sauce. He slid the syrup to Mia and looked at her expectantly.


".. Mia--.." He started. ".. I... I'm sorry if I came across as... You know... Extreme. I just--.." He shook his head and shoved a bit of one of his pancakes into his mouth. ".. Enjoy the breakfast." He choked out, and then quickly sipped his coffee.

 

[Zhai]

Geez, this waitress was ruder than Mia expected. The woman was young, maybe in her twenties, and she was pretty, but her attitude was hideous. Since Carl and Mia walked in the the waitress had barely said two words to them, was silent when they order, quiet bringing them drinks, quiet bringing the food, and didn't ask if they needed anything else when she left. Mia wasn't expecting this diner to be some five star establishment or expect the waitress to be extra chipper, but a few words here and there would have been nice. Whatever. They would be in and out of here hopefully quick enough where they didn't have to suffer with this anti-social waitress.


The pancakes look good. Smelled good, too. Mia lifted each pancake, spread butter on them, and then poured syrup. Her fork cut into the stack, stabbed through the three pieces, and lifted it. She hesitated and looked at the triple triangle of pancakes on her fork, and finally opened her mouth and managed to fit the whole thing in. One bite. She chewed the mouthful and was already working on cutting the next mouthful when she heard Carl.


She swallowed what she had in her mouth and slowly stabbed her fork into the next few pieces. "It's fine, Carl. I know you were just...giving me some brotherly advice." She smiled and rested her fork on the edge of the plate, looking up from her plate. "I get it, y'know? I didn't mean to just shut your conversation down back there, I just...you know, just know that I understand what you're talking about."


It was true. She did understand what Carl was talking about and surprisingly, she wasn't harboring any hard feelings. So he wanted her to stop eating salad; it wasn't like he was staying she was too skinny or anything, but he was expressing a health concern. Got it. Mia could eat less salad and more...whatever other food there was beside salad trimmings. Boyfriend thing? No, she wasn't going to budge on that. She didn't want one and didn't have time for one; school was important and, again, she had her hand in a lot of activities. Even now she was fretting over homework she hadn't done, the textbooks she'd left at Lydia's house, and mentally planning the Summer dance.


"Don't worry about it." Mia smiled again at her brother, picking up her fork and taking her next mouthful of food.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Carl was quite happy that she had understood what he said. He was concerned about how busy she always seemed to be, and how much she always seemed to have to do. If she didn't want a boyfriend, he didn't care. He'd like her to have friends, that was a definite thing that he wanted. Carl had concerns, but he was happy. Without friends and family, he was nothing.


"I'm glad you understand." He smiled. "Pancakes are good, right? Seriously, balance things a little more. Pure health is quite unhealthy." He chuckled a little and smiled at her as he shoved some of his pancakes into his mouth and then took a look around. There were a few people here, but not that many. It was much more quiet than the diner up at the service stop, that was for sure.


"Mia, though. Honestly... I think you should come out when me and my friends hang out - hell, even come out with me and Jenna if all things go well." He smiled thoughtfully as he gulped down some more of his coffee. "It'd do you good, I bet. We don't get to hang out very often, so... We'd both benefit from it, wouldn't we?" He chuckled a little. His eyes occasionally went up to the window in search of anything that could be a problem, but thankfully he hadn't seen anything yet.

 

[Zhai]

"Pancakes are good, and I'm pretty sure total health isn't unhealthy. I don't know why they put it in the textbooks, but then again, the textbooks do lie about some things." Mia smiled a little, cutting her next piece and dragging it around in a small pool of syrup.


The textbooks did lie sometimes, and she'd found that out in school when another student challenge something in History class. History was the easiest subject to challenge because honestly sometimes History is wrong. Whether the story is fake, a little off from the truth or the wrong person was included. She couldn't remember what it was that the guy challenged but it taught her textbooks were liars sometimes. However a textbook lying about being healthy didn't seem likely but she would say it for Carl.


Before she was about to take her next bite, the bell to the diner rang and her head came back up to see a family walking in. Father. Mother. Four kids, one on the Mother's hip and the other three walking close behind her. The waitress was still lingering behind the counter, looking through her magazine or whatever she was doing, and didn't look up to see greet then. Geez, how rude could someone get?


"I think I'll go find something else to do. I don't want to be in the same room with Jen and you kissing..." She smiled and continued dragging around the same piece of pancake in a pool of fading syrup. Pancakes were good, she just didn't want anymore. Inside she wished for a salad but outside she would have to fork down the rest of the plate. Mia ate the piece soaked in syrup, then another, another, and another. Chew, swallow, cut, chew, swallow, cut. More than half her plate was done and she was starting to feel her stomach uncomfortably stretch.


Last couple of bites and done. Mia rested the fork on the edge of the plate, sipped her water, and leaned against the back of the seat. "Done. So what's the plan, bro?"

 

[DrTrollinski]

"They don't put it in books because the truth is that they don't try these things. There's more than just physical damage. The books teach you to be anorexic, and the mental damage that a diet like that can do is unbelievable." He sighed and shoved the last of his pancakes into his mouth, and then slurped down the rest of his coffee. He slumped back in his chair and sighed. He needed to... relieve pressure on his bowels, to put it lightly, but that could wait until they got to the next town and got settled down in the motel, or something. Not now. Now, it would just be awkward. He didn't mind going to a public bathroom to pee, but if it was anything else, he'd rarely ever go in public unless he really needed to. A lot of people are like that.


"I'm happy to see you've eaten a nice hot breakfast. Feels good, doesn't it? You'll be alright for the rest of the day, I guarantee you. You'll last 'til lunchtime and maybe dinner after that, I bet." He smiled and reached across the table, patting her arm. "Breakfast, most important meal of the day, as they call it - You gotta' make that worth it. For lunch, have a bit of grilled chicken or a nice sandwich, and for dinner... Mix it up. Have a salad with some grilled chicken and some nice sauce... For dinner, have... Fish. Or just have a regular meal, but if it's not healthy enough, just have a little more of a smaller serving. Trust me, you'll feel a lot happier after it." He nodded at her and then took a deep breath.


"Plan. Ask around for a taxi company or building, or even a phone number, and then we hitch a ride out of this shithole and move up to the next town. How does that sound to you?" He asked with a smirk whilst twiddling his thumbs. "Next town... We settle down for one more day, ask around, see if we can earn ourselves a little more money by doing odd-jobs. Waste not want not, right?" He said. Ah, it was true. Carl had made quite a fair bit of money by doing jobs for people in the neighborhood. He first started doing that when he was eleven.

 

[Zhai]

"I feel like I'm going to throw up, honestly. There must be a thousand calories and a hundred cups of sugar in that syrup." Sure, the pancakes were good and they were filling - very filling - but now she felt like her stomach was about to burst at the seams and that maybe she might throw up in they walk any longer or any further in that heat. Also, the syrup was either really sweet or Mia just didn't have syrup enough in her life; reaching for the syrup, she turned it around in a circle, looking for the ingredients and nutrition label. There was none and she just had to assume either this was home made by the diner or they got it from the Willy Wonka factory, extra sugar!


Mia listened to him reel off a diet plan as she rubbed her stomach and tried not to think about getting sick, which seemed more possibly with each moment. Fish? Mia hated fish. Even Mom knew that and the women didn't know whether it was Carl that liked coffee or Mia. When he brought up the whole salad thing again, suggesting that she add more to it, she couldn't help but smile. There he was, trying to appease her tastes in his own way; it was too bad Mia had decided to forsake salad while they were literally on the run for their lives. When they returned home, she'd take back up the salad trend. Besides, you couldn't go wrong with salad or water.


"There's got to be a bus around here." Mia straightened in her seat, watching outside the single glass door of the diner towards the street. There had to be some form of mass transportation in and out of this...town, if that's what they can even call it. It was so small she'd probably built larger towns in her computer game at home. She watched as the crowded increased on the sidewalk and little by little, more people were sprinkling into the diner. There were tourist everywhere, but she knew that some of them - most of them - drove by their own personal car. The others? They had to be taking some kind of bus to get here, whether it was just a pit stop kind of bus or a long distance ride. So far, she hadn't seen a bus pass the diner.


"Odd jobs, hm?" She smiled, stirring the straw in her water and disturbing the settling ice. "I guess I'll have my chance to enjoy a stripper's life for a night." Mia's eyes quickly looked at Carl and then back towards the diner's population. Hell, this far out she would be surprised if there was even a bank, let alone a thriving strip club. "I'm kidding." Her hand reached out to pat Carl's forearm. "What odd jobs do you mean? Who's going to hire a bunch of fourteen year olds?"

 

[DrTrollinski]

"You're over-exaggerating, Mia." He chuckled. "Trust me... You wouldn't gain much weight if you stuck to your usual diet and threw this in there every other morning." He explained. "I mean, I'm not trying to push my own horn here, but look at me. I'm active, healthy, my body's fine, and my cholesterol's fine, too. Sure, if I have fast food, it goes up, but that's a one off." He chuckled and then leaned back in his chair, swooping down the rest of his black coffee, only to have the waitress come over and not say a word as she poured him a fresh one. Christ, this wasn't going to do anything for him. He wondered if his need to go to the bathroom was the same as the night I spoke of earlier, when he had the upset stomach from drinking so much coffee on the previous night.


Yeah. He was praying that that wasn't the case.


"Could be worse, Mia. You could be an addict to coffee, and you could have a bladder more reactive than a Geiger counter, eh?" He laughed a little and then rubbed the back of his head. It was a sad truth, but he didn't mind. He personally felt it made him stand out more from the crowd - the only reason his bladder was so weak and reactive was because, like mentioned way back when, he used to hold it all the time. At home, at school, and especially at the movie theater. No one ever knew why, to be honest, it was just a phase he went through as a kid (he didn't stop that habit at the movie theater, though) and stopped doing it when he was a little older, around the age of nine or ten when he finally realized that what he was doing to himself was doing quite a lot of damage. It was an uncomfortable change, but he stopped doing it most the time - the only issue with that was that for the first while, he was off running to the bathroom before the start of every lesson at school.


When she started speaking about public transport, he realized something about buses - It was going to cost less for a bus ticket. He didn't like going on buses, it was one of his odd little phobias. He vaguely remembered when he went shopping with his mom and Mia when they were younger, and this drunk man came onto the bus and started screaming. He was terrified of buses ever since, but the fear died down after a few years. It was still there, though - anything could happen on public transport.


"Yeah, we'll save money by getting a bus. Good thinking." He nodded. "What's better than going on a vehicle that probably holds a few pedophiles? I'll tell you what the answer to that is. Nothing!" He said sarcastically, grinning at her. His heart sort of stopped when she mentioned stripping, but he soon found out she was joking and he rolled his eyes. "You kidding? Loads of people hire kids to do work - The elderly always want help with stuff. It's how I make money at home - you might be helping them move furniture, cutting their lawn, or even screwing in a light bulb. Easy if you know where to look." He shrugged.

 

[Zhai]

"Well if there's no bus around here, what's the next plan? I haven't seen a taxi..." Mia paused, searching through a bank of memories from the motel to here. Where had she seen a taxi? A cab sign? A poster or even an advertisement? There hadn't been one, and if there had been she would have seen it. Just like if there was a huge bus riding around these parts, she would have seen it. It's hard to miss a bus, especially with how empty this place was. "...I haven't seen one ever. Maybe we can just hitch a ride."


In the diner there was bound to be someone who had an extra two seats at least for them and was leaving this place soon. They didn't even need to be going in the same direction as them but just a means to get away from this forsaken, off the chart, wanna-be toy town. Back at the rest stop there were several caravans, motor homes, trucks, family vans, station wagons, and other vehicles that probably had seats for them. Whatever money Carl had he could offer for gas money in exchange for a ride to the next town maybe or to the nearest bus or train station. Mia just wanted out of this town before Lydia actually came looking for them here. It was only a matter of time before she came to this very place because there were people around; and they were bound to be attracted to people. People offered help, refuge, and a means to get away. Plus who would turn down a couple of young teenagers, dirty and beaten looking?


Mia's lips parted, ready to express her thoughts to Carl, but she regressed. The whole hitching a ride idea seemed good until her eyes looked over at the diner's door, watching as a rather unsightly character came in; short man, round, long but thin hair. She could smell the smoke and alcohol on him from here, and so could everyone else judging by how everyone turned to look over their shoulders. His pants were too tight, his shirt was tattered, and he just looked like...bad news. It would just be their luck that in searching for a ride midst this crowded, he would be the one to offer them the seats.


"Are you done here? We should start looking for a bus or a taxi." She pushed her plate towards the middle of the table and scooted towards the edge of her seat.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Mia. Every place has a bus or taxi unless you live in the middle of the desert. We will find one here, alright? It's just going to take some looking around. This is the twenty-first century, for Christ's sake. I'm pretty sure there's some mode of transport here." He said as he picked up his coffee and quickly gulped it all down, and then slowly rose to his feet and took a few glances around the diner. God, this place was starting to fill with some interesting characters, so all they could hope to do was find some sort of way of getting out of here without the need to hitchhike. Sure. They might not turn down kids, but when they see Carl's lip and what a mess the both of them are in, they're probably going to get a little suspicious.


"I'm done. Let's head out." He said, and then whipped out fifteen dollars from his wallet and left it on the table. He might have given a few dollars more than what was actually needed, but that wasn't entirely important right now. A few dollars wasn't going to be a life saver to them, no matter how you look at it. The best thing that they could possibly do was just get out of here while they had the chance.


"So. Let's walk around and ask about for any bus stations or taxi places. If we don't find a bus station beforehand, that is." He smiled as he lead her out of the restaurant, and then set his hand down on her shoulder. "Lead the way, your majesty." He said, sarcastically. "I guarantee that we find something here. I guarantee it." He laughed a little and winked.

 

[Zhai]

"Wha-! Why do I have to ask?" A surprised smile spread across her lips as she turned to look at her brother, searching his face for the humor. Why did she always have to ask?! Mia had wondered that since they were kids - whenever they wanted something from their parents, Carl would devise the plan but Mia..Mia always had to ask. He'd never given her a clear or justified reason why it had to be her, and through the years she'd chalked it up to either Carl not knowing how to ask or she was made to ask simply because she was a girl. Who said 'no' to girls that often, right? "Fine." She smiled, turned her nose up at her brother sarcastically, and started off across the street.


Small bakery seems like a likely place to ask. People in the bakery business, in Mia's mind, were normally talkative, eager to help, and if you brought something - the more they liked you. Mia lingered outside the glass display, squinting to look into the glass and at the interior. Let's see - one woman behind the counter, a customer at a small table in the corner, and two people in line. There were a few rows of bread on the wall behind the woman and another display case of some kind separating the woman from the customers. It looked small, personally owned, and it smelled amazing. Mia inhaled the deep, thick, fresh scent of bread and pastries. Okay, she would definitely start asking here.


Turning to Carl, she smiled and held out her hand to him. "I'm going to need some money for this one." It wasn't just because she wanted to talk with the bakery people - but the doughnut in the display was calling her name, doing little dances and circles and smiling. Maybe she'd shared it with Carl, too.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Carl looked into the bakery and scanned over some of the things that were there in the display case. Hm. The cream cakes, the donuts, the... the everything. They looked fantastic. He could definitely go for something to eat right now. It looked really tempting, especially the strawberry sprinkle donuts that looked almost the same thickness as Carl's closed fist. It was definitely something he was going for, and seeing as he didn't have six pancakes like he was used to, there was still a gap to fill.


And then Mia asked for money. Twin minds think alike, maybe.


"Fuck you." He grinned and shook his head as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill. "Plus, I said that you could lead the way." He smirked and then pushed the door open, holding it there for a few seconds so that they could step inside. The top of the door went over a little bell that gave off a gentle chime and notified everyone of their presence.


"Why don't I do the talking this time? Plus, I've got an elaborate lie that's pure gold, and hopefully she'll buy it - It involves school. Think, Mia. It's Monday. We should be in school right now, and I've got the perfect lie to why we're not where we should be." He said, fluttering the ten dollar bill in front of her and then lowering it to his side. "Another thing, I'm a charming guy, as you know - Name one woman that we've encountered on this journey aside from Lydia that hasn't fallen for my lies?" He whispered, and then smiled. "Exactly. Now. How about a change of our old plans and let me try some negotiating, eh?" He asked.


"Oh, and what do you want to buy?" He asked in addition.

 

[Zhai]

So much for 'leading the way', huh? Mia couldn't help but grin at her brother's response. There wasn't any use arguing and she sides stepped out of the way to let him pass, following behind him into the bakery. Holy shit, the smell was so much better in here, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek not to curse aloud. It would just look bad. Really bad, actually.


"I'm the only woman who hasn't fell for your lies." Mia smiled and leaned against her brother just long enough to take the money from his hand. She lifted the money and held it up to the light, turning it over a few times before holding it in her opposite hand, out of the way of Carl. He'd have to make a scene to get it back. "Besides, you can do the talking. I'll treat you to something. What do you want?"


What didn't she want? Everything looked so much better inside than it did in the display case, but suddenly she was having second thoughts. What if they needed this money they were about to spend? Her hand curled around the money, squeezing it in her fist. All of a sudden she was filling very...frugal; but she knew in order to get the woman on their side, they should buy something from her. Like a trade - buy something from her in order to get better information.


They were just two people back in line, and the customer ahead of them was taking his sweet time deciding if he wanted his Rye in slices or in the loaf. The man was old, leaned on his cane like an extra leg, and spoke so loud that probably people outside could hear him. He was probably going deaf or something. The woman behind the counter was patient, smiled and leaned against the glass counter, waiting for him to make up his mind. Finally, he wanted it sliced, and she retreated so quickly to the back that Mia figured the woman did it on purpose so the man couldn't change his mind. The woman returned a few moments later with the bread sliced and sealed in plastic.


Old man paid and broke off the line, the bell singing that he'd left. Great. They were only one person behind. The woman in front of them was quick, reading off a list - sliced honey bread, half a dozen doughnuts, two Kaiser rolls, and a wheat loaf. Paid. Broke off and left. Mia smiled at the woman behind the counter when it was their turn, and her eyes switched over to Carl, waiting for his silver tongue.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"I like your thinking." He smiled at her and then stood in line, but he was cringing while listening to the old man who couldn't seem to stop shouting. He dreaded the day when he ended up like that, but hopefully, he'd have a couple of kids to help him out and make sure that he wasn't embarrassed in public like that, or maybe he'd just learn to lip read. It was weird when you couldn't hear your own voice, though, so for that, he felt sorry for the poor old guy.


Once the line finally died down, and they ended up at the front, he offered the woman behind the counter and kind and friendly smile, and instantly got one in return. That was step one. The smile. Alright, that was that out of the way, and now he needed to figure out how to get the information out of her.


Order first, ask later.


"Good morning." He smiled. "I'd like... one of your large strawberry sprinkle donuts. Oh, and whatever my sister's having. Please." He nodded at her, and she waited to hear what Mia wanted and then dashed off behind the display case to start bagging it up. As she came back, he leaned onto the counter and looked at her. "While we're here, I've got a quick question, if you don't mind." He said.


"Go ahead, sweetie." She said. She didn't sound as Southern as half of the other people in this town. A young woman in a place like this? He felt bad for her. She looked like the innocent type that didn't need the harassment of the local rednecks in her life.


"I and my sister here, we're from out of town on a school project. The Extended Project Qualification - We've had to buy our own beds and food and get everything done that we needed to - the only problem is, our parents had the time to drive us down here, but they can't pick us up due to their jobs... We've been looking around for quite a while, and we haven't seen any taxis, buses, you name it - We were wondering if you could point us in the right direction?" He asked, smiling once again. She looked at him for a moment and then smiled.


"Of course, honey. If you follow this street back down onto Main Street, head straight up, and then take a left on the final turn at the top, there's buses that go there every... twenty minutes, I think?" She said. Carl had to avoid jumping up in excitement, even more so when the bags were placed down on the counter in front of them. Little grease-proof paper bags. Not too bad at all.


"Thank you so much, ma'am. How much do we owe you?"


"That'll be four-fifty, please." She said, Carl nodded and then turned to look at Mia, whom of which had taken the money from him. He gave her a wink and nod. Well. That was easier than they expected - Extended Project Qualification. He'd been waiting to use that lie for some time now. It looks like it worked, though, that was for sure.

 

[Zhai]

During the entire time Carl and the woman were exchanging conversation, Mia wondered if she would have fallen for her brother's silver tongue if she weren't related to him and was some unsuspecting woman. Listening to him now she felt like...she wouldn't. Maybe it was just her sister-self thinking that way, but right now she saw a fourteen year old boy who could maybe pass for sixteen only because he was a built slightly and had a deeper voice. He wasn't the lady killer Mia had often heard him label himself as and she had to smile at the day some woman would tell him to turn the other way and go play with some Lego blocks. Well, it was funny enough Mia had to angle her body away from the counter midst their conversation, and cough to discourage the laughter that was creeping up in her. Carl hadn't played with Lego blocks in years, and she remembered when he told their Father that Lego blocks were for little boys. Having a woman tell him to go play with them would be...the ultimate ego murder.


When she felt she was okay to make eye contact with Carl without imaging him with two missing front teeth and a Lego block hat, she turned back towards the counter. It was just in time to hear the woman say what their total had come to. Mia exchanged the ten dollar bill for the bag of bakery food, and waited as the woman counted back their change. Mia dropped a dollar in a tip jar off the side of the cash register, waved to the woman, and gingerly stepped around a building crowd to the front door and out towards the street. Out on the street, she opened the bag and reached for the butter croissant, eating the flaking crust and looking at Carl. "Wow, I'll have to admit...that was your best silver tongue moment yet, Carl. I think she just got pregnant from all those sweet...sweet..lady killer words. Why did you sleep with her? We could have gotten this for free." Mia laughed, taking a bite of the croissant, and passing the bag to Carl.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Carl drove his hand into the bag and quickly ripped out the large donut from it, and then shoved it into his mouth and took a huge bite. He did this as soon as they exited the store, and he was happy that it all went well. The donut was fine, too. It was pretty good, actually. He didn't really know a world outside of Krispy Kreme or Dunkin' Donuts when it came to food like this, but... He had to admit. This was good. The nice thing was that he finally had something to fill that empty spot in his stomach. Probably not the best idea while all of that coffee was busy brewing up chaos in his gut, but... What could you do?


"Heh. Of course it was my best moment." He grinned, deciding that he'd play along with the joke. "You could see the clips on her bra bursting, sis. She was fuckin' paralyzed as soon as she looked into my eyes. If I wanted to, I would have made the move." He laughed loudly as he took another bite of his donut. He looked at Mia for a moment and then smiled. At least things were finally going back to normality, right?


"What did she say again? Top of Main Street, last left turn?" He asked, scratching his head. "Yeah, that was the one." He smiled and nodded surely to himself. He was proud that he'd managed to accomplish that little task that may have helped them out greatly. "On the upside, this is going to be better than spending thirty dollars on a taxi - We might have to sit in a bus full of sweaty men and screaming children, but hey, what can you do?" He asked.