Villains Rise

Chapter 9 -- An experiment gone wrong

Owen is awful at parallel parking. I've never been more afraid of how someone parks but I guess there's a first time for everything. He glares at me when I reach for the panic handle.

I peer out my window, "Owen, you're on the curb."

"I'm not used to driving." He snaps at me and hits his head against the steering wheel.

"Me either, but at least I can park without almost hitting the mail box on the sidewalk." I continue to stare straight ahead, traumatized.

He starts to chuckle, "You're a handful in the mornings, you know that?

I'm sure Jonas and Ash would agree based on the number of times I was awakened by them throwing rocks at my window to wake me up. My heart drops to my stomach. I've never missed my friends this much in three days time, but it physically hurts me to think about how I've been taken away from them. Yet, I can't bring myself to go back at the moment. I've never felt so torn.

"Just get out of the car and I'll fix my parking." He laughs.

"I can't. The mailbox is an inch away from my door." If I were to open it, there would be a huge blue streak against the side of this black Charger.

I find it ironic that Owen has such a nice car, but can't drive. Who could afford this car if you're a college student that doesn't have a job? It must be his dad's.

Owen sighs and turns off the car. He turns to face me, "Then you park the car." He smirks and places the keys in my lap. I awkwardly twiddle my thumbs.

"I'll just climb out on your side." I shy away. If I were to wreck the car, I'm afraid Black Light would never let me out of the Undergrounds.

I slide out after Owen, and he thankfully gives me a hand. Sometimes Owen surprises me. Though I doubt I'll be seeing a lot of the gentleman act.

We walk down the busy streets of the big city. Owen drove out of town so we could go to stores that would be open early. Rosewood was known for its "Open 24/7" restaurants and stores. Not many cities in our area had that kind of image. Our region usually consisted of quiet towns with small cafes and tiny convenient stores.

The sun was just beginning to come up over the massive figures of the buildings. When we walked into the first store, my eyes automatically searched for a clock. I have had almost no concept of time since I've been away. I know Owen woke me up at five this morning, but I lost track of time since then.

My eyes land on the blue, vintage wall clock that reads seven a.m. Then I spot the clearance rack in the back and run to my designated section. The clearance rack is any girl's best friend.

I'm pleased to see a television is set up for the public eye to view. I haven't been updated on current news in a couple of days now. Since I've gone missing, is anything drastically different?

While commercials play at the moment, I turn my attention towards the clothes and begin to pick out my summer wardrobe. If I'm in the Undergrounds for a while, I'll need at least a few outfits to get me through. I search for shorts and tank tops.

Owen walks up to me with his hands in his pockets. He looks like he could work here. His dirty blonde hair is swiped to the side, he's wearing a pair of ripped jeans, and his white t-shirt clings to his chest. This shop has a number of employees that look identical to him.

"Why are you staring at me?" His voice snaps me out of my observation.

I go back to looking at clothes, avoiding eye contact with him. Watching him out of the corner of my eye, I see him shrug and walk over to look on the other side of the rack. I knew he had to shop here.