Culture Shock

Chapter 27: Adrenaline Rush

We've got some good chase scene music up there ^^ for you to listen to if you can/want.

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He knows. He knows. 

That was all that ran through Camry's mind as she bolted after the thief. He dodged around pedestrians with the same agility and unpredictability as a rabbit, barely missing the innocent bystanders by an inch or less. Camry, on the other hand, had to skid to a stop and weave another path for herself through the crush of foot traffic. She was all too lucky to have so much leg muscle and experience with fancy footwork-- this kid was doing his damn best to give her the slip!

When she caught another glimpse of him from behind, she made sure to take note of what exactly he was wearing: orange T-shirt, black basketball shorts with white stripes down the sides, and sneakers that had been white and green at one point in his lifetime. 'Not exactly an outfit for stealth' she couldn't help thinking wryly. 'Perfect.' 

"Hey!" she yelled when a break in the traffic appeared and gave her the chance to close some of the distance between her and the boy. "Get back here, asshole!" 

He spared a look back over his shoulder and glared at her but didn't reply. The street ahead veered left into a cobbled route and wound through a lush park with full, leafy trees to stroll under. Couples and families with small children had gathered to do exactly that. The wheels of their toddlers' strollers bounced and stuttered over the ground for the sake of the aesthetic. Measuring carefully with his eyes, he waited until the very last second to make a ninety degree turn left and start treating the romantic couples like gates on a slalom course. 

Cam let out a very unladylike growl and struggled against her own inertia to stay close to him. Damn, he could run as fast as she could! Considering how she was a superhero who mainly got around via her own two legs, that was saying something. Her long history with dance was just the cherry on top of her skill set. 

The thief turned right onto the grass and found himself with a new obstacle: the picnicking blankets scattered around the park. He looked back again-- she was still following him! 'Fine' he thought while deliberately picking up speed. 'She can run, but can she jump?'

Across the park, a clear line of indignant people could be tracked from start to finish as he started jumping clear over the blankets, food, and heads that got in his way. He had no reason to worry that he wouldn't clear everything every time; after all, a witch's familiar mirrors their own natural attributes and personality, and his was a rabbit of all things. If anyone could make a tough jump, it was Miguel. 

Unfortunately for him, Camry was also not so easily deterred. She kept on him and didn't plan on letting him out of her sight again. Her core, hidden deep within and wrapped up by the extradimensional layer of her human self, was growing warmer and warmer with the excitement of the chase. She called out a warning before every jump and tried to throw as many apologies behind her as she could, but nevertheless she matched the thief bound for bound.

Well, she almost did. A few leaps nearly ended with her coming up short and possibly slipping on the edge of the blanket or dish just past her heel. Camry knew that slipping here could end with her losing the one solid lead in over a month spent trying to find her best friend, and she wasn't about to let that happen-- not on her life or her afterlife. 

Camry gasped at what she knew was about to happen. The blanket's edge was going to catch on her heel and she would lose her balance. Oh, shit, oh-- wait. Almost as if it happened in slow motion, a rational thought broke through the frantic static of her one-track mind and shouted at her: "TELEPORT, YOU DITZ!" She blurred forward those two inches she needed to clear the blanket and touched down on solid ground and grass, where she found the purchase she needed to keep going.