Capsule

by Mel Torrefranca

  Kat turned the volume on her phone up. “Starting route to Pelle Cove State Park,” the robotic voice spoke.

  “Great.” Peter threw his hands in the air. “All the way up those windy cliff roads with an inexperienced driver.”

  Winding roads? Jackie had never driven on anything more than the calm streets between Brookwood High and her house, but she cloaked her nervousness. She’d rather not deal with Peter overreacting any more than he already was.

  According to Kat, a majority of the trip to Pelle Cove took place on a single road starting on the far west end of Brookwood. All they had to do was get there and the remainder of the trip to the wealthy beach town of Ravensburg would be smooth sailing.

  Jackie carefully followed the phone’s directions, her driver’s confidence increasing with every stoplight she’d pass. Soon enough they’d left the comfort of Old Town Brookwood and entered the west end of the city, Brookwood’s commercial district. The roads here had multiple lanes in both directions, cars frequently turning into vast parking lots for big-box stores and popular restaurant chains.

  There weren’t many trees on this side of town. The SUV was out in the open, sunlight beaming through the windshield and blinding Jackie’s vision. She flipped the sun visor down and focused strictly on the lane in front of her, trying to ignore the cars zooming too close for comfort to her left and right. I have to drive faster. She almost applied more pressure on the gas, but the phone ringing in her back pocket interrupted her. With one hand remaining on the steering wheel, she grabbed her vibrating phone and passed it to Kat. “Who’s calling?”

  “Kuya?” Kat frowned at the screen. “Weird name. Want me to answer?”

  “It’s my brother.” Jackie glanced at the time on the SUV’s display screen—3:37. The school day had come to an end seven minutes ago, and she’d forgotten to tell Jay that she didn’t need a ride home from school today. For a moment she considered ignoring the call, but the last thing they needed was her overprotective dad trying to chase her down, so she gave in. “Yeah. Put him on speaker.”

  Kat swiped to answer the call, and Jay’s voice filled the SUV without delay. “Jackie? Where are you?”

  “Oh sorry, I’m…” Jackie paused to focus on completing a left turn. “I’m uh—walking to Pepperdine. With a classmate.”

  “The candy store?”

  “Yeah.” Jackie cringed. Not because she couldn’t have come up with a stupider destination than Pepperdine, but because she’d never gone anywhere with a classmate outside of school before. She half-expected Jay to call her out for lying right on the spot.

  “Oh. Well, okay then. That’s great, Jackie.” His heavy breathing concealed the pinch of enthusiasm in his voice. He almost sounded like someone was timing how long it’d take him to reach the car. “Do you think you could get a ride home? I’m planning to visit a friend.”

  Jackie nodded before remembering that he couldn’t see her. “Yeah.”

  Kat’s phone boomed with the robotic voice again. “In 1.3 miles, turn right onto Pelle Road.” Kat shuffled to stop the navigation before it could speak again.

  “Was that—”

  “Phone’s being weird,” Jackie shouted. “Alright, just got to Pepperdine. Have fun with your friend.”

  “Thanks. I’ll see you—”

  Kat ended the call before Jay could finish, lowered her arm, and whispered, “Wait.”

  Jackie’s eyes wandered around the road, sensing Kat’s stare in her direction.

  “That was Jay, wasn’t it?” Kat’s booming voice burned Jackie’s ears. “Like, Jay Mendoza Jay? Varsity-basketball Jay? Accepted-into-Stanford Jay?”

  Jackie sighed. “Bingo.”

  “Jay’s your brother?” The SUV slowed to a stop before turning onto Pelle Road, so Kat ended the navigation on her phone. “No way.”

  Peter laughed. “That’s what I said.”

  “But you two are so different,” Kat said. “Jay gets all nervous for no reason because he’s afraid of letting people down. But you’re like—too chill for that kind of stuff.”

  “Right?” Peter said. “At least Jackie’s quiet. Jay’s alway getting involved with other people’s business. And those damn flannels—how many does he own?”

  “He definitely likes his flannels.” Kat looked over her shoulder at Peter. “But I will admit he’s pretty good at guitar.”

  “Jay, good at guitar?” Peter leaned forward. “You should see me play sometime.”

  Jackie ignored their blabbering and focused on the road. Everyone always had something to say about Jay, even during a life-threatening game like Capsule. Of course Jay had to show up in the Level Two memory of Kat and Emmeline. Video games were the one thing Jackie had managed to keep to herself, and now Jay had to trickle into it and outshine her just like in everything else.

  The massive buildings of Brookwood’s commercial district grew more infrequent the further Jackie drove down Pelle Road. The lanes narrowed, but luckily there were hardly any other cars around, so Jackie didn’t have to stress about driving too slow. Eventually Peter and Kat’s conversation trickled off, and Kat asked Jackie for her iPhone password so she could explore the Capsule app on her own. Kat whispered the different power-up descriptions to herself as the commercial buildings completely left Jackie’s sight.

  The road grew windier up the hills of shriveled dead grass, the rocky ledge to her right leaving Jackie slightly uncomfortable, but biting her lower lip calmed her nerves.

  “There’s one thing I really can’t wrap my head around,” Peter said.

  Jackie caught Peter frowning in the reflection on the rearview mirror, which had been pointed too low. Her heart pounded as she took one hand off the steering wheel to adjust the mirror to suit her height.

  Once Jackie had returned her full attention back to the road, Peter continued. “I know I said I’d stop my investigation and all, and I am. But let’s say we ignore where this game came from. Let’s say it’s magic. Or some weird form of mother-nature or something. Let’s say this game is completely unexplainable, which is really hard to believe, but I can maybe get on board with it. Even if that’s the case, why would the game choose us? I can’t get that question out of my mind.”

  The car fell silent.

  Why us?

  The question hadn’t left Jackie’s mind either. Why would this mysterious game target three strangers from the same school?

  “And then there’s that weird phrase,” Peter said. “Clean the mess, erase the memories, and reverse the day.”

  Jackie had been too busy focusing on the chaos of the game that she hadn’t spent any time analyzing what the phrase meant. “Maybe it’s talking about our memories of the levels.”

  “Or our memories of the game.” Peter’s voice grew louder, more confident. “Think about it. Whenever we try searching anything up, it’s like the game doesn’t exist. What if other people have played Capsule too, but they just don’t remember? In that case, maybe the mess Capsule refers to is the game itself. Clean the mess, as in clean up the weird, unexplainable things that happened today. Erase the memories, meaning our memories of said mess.”

  “And reverse the day,” Jackie added. “Like none of this ever happened.”

  “We already know that you’re technically from the future, right? But only you remember what happened. Obviously Capsule has control over time—and our memories.” Peter’s enthusiasm settled, his voice hard to hear over the rumbling of the car on the rocky road. “We win the game, and our lives go back to normal. We can relive this day the way it was supposed to be. Kat and I won’t be threatened by some countdown, and you won’t have to deal with the app.”

  Kat’s booming laugh warmed the car. Jackie hadn’t noticed the goosebumps on her own arms until they’d disappeared.

  “So you’re from the future?” Kat pointed her thumb at Jackie. “Wow. T
his keeps getting better.”

  For the remainder of the drive, Peter brought Kat up to date on everything he and Jackie knew regarding the game. He explained Jackie’s experience with traveling back in time, opening the first capsule in book club, and the craziness at Cherry Ice. The information didn’t bother Kat one bit. She grinned the entire time, asking questions and challenging the obscure facts Peter spouted in her direction.

  “So you’re saying we have”—Kat checked the time on the Capsule app—“about seventeen hours left before we die?”

  “Yes,” Peter said. “Exactly.”

  Jackie wasn’t sure whether Kat believed them or not. Surely if she trusted what Peter had explained she’d be petrified, or at least confused. It almost seemed like she’d only decided to come along for entertainment, and if that were the case, Kat would be in for a treat.

  The twists of Pelle Road eventually settled as the ocean emerged at the horizon. An emerald green sign by the side of the road read Welcome to Ravensburg in bold white letters. They drove past the few dingy buildings located by the coast—a surf shop, a seafood restaurant, and a souvenir store of worthless keychains and postcards.

  Almost there.

  In a few minutes they’d run straight into Pelle Cove State Park. Jackie wanted to be proud that she’d driven so far from home, but she couldn’t move on from the fact that after the game, she wouldn’t remember anything from today. This memory right now, of her driving on Pelle Road with the water glimmering in the distance—was she really okay with forgetting it?

  16:43:05

  THE SAND DUNES formed a wall at Pelle Cove, separating the barbecue grills and empty picnic tables from the shore. Every stride up the dune they’d chosen to scale left Jackie more exhausted than the last. The sand sank under her shoes, shifting her lower and stifling her progress.

  Kat dodged one of the many ankle-slicing shrubs. “I used to come here with my family all the time.”

  “Really? I never pictured you as the outdoorsy type.” Peter counted the traits with his fingers. “Kat Pike—professional drama queen, aspiring Instagram influencer, climate change activist, and—you know what?” He dropped his hand, ceasing his count. “I think I’m starting to see it now.”

  “Clever one, Seinfeld,” Kat said.

  “Do you know what I do for some time out of the house?” Peter patted his shoulders. “I go to the gym. Gotta get these muscles somewhere.”

  Jackie lengthened her strides, taking the lead up the dune and filling her sneakers with sand in the process. If Peter and Kat would rather share a worthless conversation instead of being mature about the game, Jackie would have to play the responsible role. She scanned to her left and right as she climbed, searching the adjacent dunes for a hint of an aluminum capsule.

  “Yeah?” Kat chuckled. “What gym?”

  “Joke.” The enthusiasm in Peter’s voice fell flat. “That was a joke. But in my defense, I bike religiously. And I mean religiously. I could start a bike cult if I wanted to. I mean, I’m talking twelve miles a day. Then there’s my nightly exercise regimen. Mostly pushups and sit-ups. Personally, I think body weight exercises are healthier and easier on the joints. The machines at the gym aren’t natural. Read a whole book about it.”

  Jackie stopped at the sand dune’s peak. She hadn’t visited Pelle Cove since August of last year, a time when the beach roared with laughter and half-naked bodies, beach towels, and umbrellas covered every inch of sand. Today the beach was deserted, discomforting, yet still undeniably beautiful. Seagulls soared in flocks over the shore, and the waves twisted in the distance. White clouds pasted themselves against the gray sky, creating the illusion of a sunny day.

  “Whoa.” Kat appeared at Jackie’s right. “It’s really pretty.”

  Kat looked younger than usual, and despite her makeup, she resembled the eighth-grade Kat Jackie had seen in the Level Two memory.

  Peter nearly lost his balance on a loose plant on the way up, catching Jackie and Kat’s attention. They stared him down as he joined the dune’s peak, brows pointed toward his nose even though he smiled to crack a joke. “I’m surprised you’re not Instagramming this right here.” He held an imaginary phone up to Kat’s face. “I can totally picture it—you posing on top of this sand dune with the caption summer vibes. Actually—no. You’d be more dramatic. Something like, the sky brightens my world.” He waved his hands in the air, emulating a rainbow.

  Jackie bit her cheek to keep from smiling. Although she held a distaste for Peter’s judgmental attitude, she couldn’t deny that his impression of Kat’s Instagram caption was spot-on.

  “So we’re here to twist open a floating pill?” Kat asked.

  Jackie forgot why she’d almost smiled a moment ago. It made sense that Kat was skeptical, but Jackie couldn’t stomach that sparkle in her eyes. This game was dangerous, and Kat refused to acknowledge that Capsule was threatening her life.

  “Yeah. That’s what Peter explained earlier.” Jackie crossed her arms. “The capsule has to be somewhere nearby. We just have to find it.”

  “Sounds exhausting.” Kat reached into her backpack, retrieving a handful of granola bars. “Always keep emergency snacks on me. Want one?”

  Jackie gladly took a bar from her, the thought of food lightening her spirits. She couldn’t remember what she’d eaten this morning, but judging by the rumbling in her stomach as she opened the granola bar’s packaging, whatever it was hadn’t been enough.

  Kat held a bar toward Peter, her eyes lingering on Jackie to avoid his gaze. Peter bowed with his hands outstretched, grabbing the bar in the process. “Why thank you, Your Majesty.” He flipped the granola bar over as he straightened his back, scanned the nutrition label, and held the bar back to her.

  “It’s vegan.” Kat pushed his arm into his chest, insisting he keep it. “Healthy,” she stated, as though healthy were a synonym for vegan.

  “Yeah, I’m not sure if I consider vegan healthy.” Peter tossed the granola bar at Kat this time, forcing her to catch it. “But sugar? I know with complete confidence that sugar is toxic, and this energy bar you call healthy has loads of it.”

  Jackie headed down the other side of the dune, a much more gradual path than the way up. Peter’s and Kat’s voices followed her back.

  “Oh, so you’re anti-vegan now?” Kat dropped Peter’s rejected granola bar into her backpack. “I’m not even vegan, you know. I just try to get healthier snacks because—”

  “I’m not anti-vegan. I’m anti-sugar. All I’m saying is that there’s no way an egg is less healthy than a few teaspoons of sugar. Or that a cup of milk causes more damage than one of those ridiculously sweet vegan cinnamon buns they sell at Halos. Not to mention chicken teriyaki. Really? Is society so corrupt that we need to season our meat with sugar now?”

  Jackie tuned out their argument as they reached the base of the sand dune. The only object in sight was a lifeguard tower in the distance, a single ring-shaped buoy hanging off the side of its deck.

  Jackie had found the first two capsules in obvious locations. The capsule in book club had floated inside the discussion circle, and the one at Cherry Ice hovered boldly over the rink. What if Capsule had spoon-fed them the first, like the beginning levels of a game or the introductory trial? What if tracking down the next three capsules would end up being more challenging than she’d been anticipating?

  “I thought I heard you were vegetarian,” Kat said.

  “Low-carb pescatarian, actually. It’s a very specific—”

  “Can you guys focus? Please?” Jackie couldn’t remember the last time she’d interrupted anyone like that before, but she held no remorse for doing so. Jackie took another bite of her granola bar, and this time the taste distracted her. Peter’s argument deserved some credit—the bar could’ve easily been mistaken as a dessert.

  “About that.” Peter’s voice dragged along, de
laying his point and leaving Jackie itching for time to move faster. “Yeah, so—I was thinking. Why don’t you two handle this one? I already helped out with the level at Cherry Ice, so it’s Kat’s turn to take over as sidekick.”

  Jackie stopped chewing. What kind of idiotic reasoning was that? Peter’s life depended on completing the levels before the end of the countdown, and he wasn’t in the mood to give the game his all?

  “We’re doing great on time,” he added. “That stupid countdown is the underdog at this point.”

  Jackie swallowed her half-chewed bite, the oats scraping her throat. “You’re being ridiculous.”

  “Well maybe this game is ridiculous!” Peter made eye contact with Jackie, and she couldn’t help but feel rightfully attacked. “Did you ever think of that? This whole game is a serious invasion of privacy. I’d much rather be at home right now stressing over homework—not a magic game, but here I am.”

  “Aw.” Kat set her hand on his shoulder with an exaggerated pout. “Poor Peter.”

  “You don’t get it, okay?” Peter yanked his shoulder away from her, averting his focus to the sand. “I have a bad feeling that whatever this capsule’s about to show us won’t be pretty, and I hate that I have no control over it.” His voice softened as he raised his head to face the waves. “But fine. Let’s get this over with. I’ll head back and search by the picnic tables. You two can cover the dunes and…”

  Jackie followed Peter’s gaze, eyes landing on a shimmer in the distance. Floating above the waves was a capsule, swaying slightly, matching the motion of the water. It hadn’t been there the last time Jackie looked.

  No words had to be said—they all knew what to do. The trio kicked their feet forward, running to the shoreline. The sand accumulating in Jackie’s shoes and the wind pressing against her face threatened to slow her down, but Jackie fought against the pressure and took the lead. Her breathing fell into a rhythm, and when the damp sand below her started to squish, Jackie stopped. The three panted out of sync, watching the capsule that hovered a solid twenty feet away.