Capsule

by Mel Torrefranca

  Peter bowed, replicating the same conversation from this morning in the hall. “As you wish, Your Majesty.” But this time when he straightened his back with a hand over his nose and mouth, Kat was smiling too.

  Looking at the situation objectively was almost comical. Jackie never would have expected to attend a school dance in Grovestown with the impulsive Kat Pike and the despised Peter Moon. She’d spent an entire day with two students from Brookwood High who she’d known absolutely nothing about, but now their wins were her wins, and she recognized a beauty in that.

  This was a moment Jackie could never get back, and part of her wished it wouldn’t end.

  “I’m surprised you’re going along with this,” Kat said.

  “I know, right?” Peter faced the crowd. “But we really do deserve a break.”

  “Hell yeah we do! Say it louder next time.” Kat pointed at the students dancing in the middle of the gym. “Wanna go?”

  “Yeah right.” Peter shook his head. “Unless you wanna see me perform Taekwondo kata to the beat, I doubt you want me out there.”

  “Actually, that does sound like something I wanna see.”

  Peter and Kat disappeared, leaving Jackie and Jay leaned against the wall several feet away from each other with Kat’s backpack forming a barrier between them.

  “Honestly, I’ve been really confused.” Jay’s jaw dropped into an open-mouth grin. “I mean, when am I not? But this has got to be the most confusing part of all. Kat Pike and Peter Moon. Who would’ve thought?”

  “What about them?” Jackie asked.

  “I’ve never seen Kat this happy before. And Peter—well—I always thought he was too stuck in his own head to appreciate anyone else, but look at him now.”

  Jackie searched the crowd, her eyes running over the twisting students until they finally landed on Peter and Kat. With a few strikes of his arm, Peter imitated a martial arts move before Kat burst into laughter, grabbing his arms to stop him from further embarrassment.

  Jackie’s and Jay’s eyes met again, but they looked away and instead watched the colors bounce off the walls. About once every twenty seconds the air would fill with a bold purple, reminding Jackie of the desk waiting for her back at home. It felt like years since she’d last sat in front of her PC, but strangely enough, she didn’t miss it.

  “I have a question.” Jackie didn’t wait for Jay to reply before asking. “After Emmeline died, why did you try so hard to bring Kat with you on those trips to Quasso Drive?”

  Jackie now understood that Jay wanted to know where Emmeline was going that night. He wanted to know why she’d told everyone different stories. He wanted to know what she’d planned on doing instead of going to the dance with him. But what Jackie didn’t understand was why he had to solve the mystery with Kat.

  “She told you about that?”

  Explaining the game was getting old, so Jackie settled with saying, “Yeah, Kat told me.”

  “I see. Well maybe this is stupid, but”—Jay melted against the wall in relief—“I think part of me just wanted to be a brother for once.”

  Jackie’s head darted to her left. The now-orange lights of the room warmed Jay’s face as he continued.

  “And the other part of me—well—I guess I also wanted to help Kat feel better. But I had it wrong. She didn’t need someone to help her. All she needed was a fun time.”

  Maybe she and Jay were more similar than she’d thought. They were both trapped on the outside. Trying to reach the land of understanding and always getting closer but never reaching the true destination. Peter and Kat had both experienced the tragic loss of someone they cared for, and that was something the Mendoza siblings didn’t have. Jackie and Jay could only imagine pain, but Peter and Kat had lived it. As much as Jackie wanted to believe that she was a part of their journey, the reality was that she was the player and Peter and Kat were the pawns. They were in it for their lives, and she was in it for the game.

  Jay coughed their wandering minds back into reality. “Well, if we’re playing the loners tonight, let me show you how it’s done.” He boosted himself off the wall, and Jackie sent a final glance in Peter and Kat’s direction before slowly following Jay to the snack table. He handed Jackie a styrofoam plate and gestured to the array of cold platters next to the hot chocolate dispenser. “Welcome to the feast.”

  Jackie couldn’t keep herself from smiling. She hadn’t seen this playful side of her brother in years, so she went along with it and offered him a curtsy. “Why thank you.”

  “This here is a quartered gourmet sandwich.” Jay plopped a piece onto Jackie’s plate. “Classic loner food.”

  “And what’s that?” Jackie pointed to a glass bowl of what appeared to be corn pudding. “That definitely looks like loner food.”

  They both watched a boy wearing an oversized yellow suit reach for the wooden spoon and scoop the unknown corn substance onto his plate.

  “No, that’s not loner food.” Jay’s face grew serious as he leaned over Jackie’s shoulder and whispered into her ear. “That’s just Grovestown food.”

  Jackie laughed as the boy faced them with a frown. He grabbed a plastic spoon lying on the tablecloth and walked away, his slacks dragging against the dusty gym floor behind him.

  Jay introduced Jackie to a few more foods before they established their spot in the corner of the gym.

  “Is this the loner spot?” Jackie asked.

  “Not exactly, but it’s my favorite spot.” Jay tucked himself into the corner as he bit into a dry baby carrot. He set the other half of the vegetable on his plate as he choked the bite down. “If you stand in the corner of any room, you’ll learn a lot about the people inside it.”

  For a moment Jay sounded like Eugene with his poetically-phrased advice.

  “But you’re an exception.” Jay tossed his plate into the nearby trash bin, giving up on the raw carrots and broccoli he’d taken from the vegetable platter. “I could stand in all four corners and not understand any better.”

  “And why’s that?” Jackie took a bite of her sandwich expecting it to be dry, but not this dry. It stuck to the back of her front teeth and left her struggling to free it with her tongue. The last thing she wanted to do was reach her fingers into her mouth in front of a bunch of high schoolers.

  She set the sandwich onto her plate. Not eating that again.

  “I just—I could never understand what I did wrong.” Jay paused as the song transitioned to a new one. “Freshman year I got really pulled into high school drama. Friends, dances, sports. Then sophomore year came around and there was the Emmeline situation. But I always tried to make time for you, and it kinda felt like you wanted nothing to do with me.”

  Jackie remembered all of the times Jay had started conversations with her in the car. All of the times he had asked Jackie if she wanted to hang out with him and his friends. Every single time, Jackie had pushed him away. She said no to spending time with him. She boarded herself in her room with nothing but video games and a best friend who didn’t consider her his best friend. It was all a mess. A sacrifice for nothing.

  “I was jealous.”

  Jay nodded, as though he already knew. “Mom and Dad love you too.”

  “But not in the same way.” Jackie followed Jay’s example and tossed the rest of her food into the trash. It really wasn’t worth the energy to chew.

  “No one ever loves two people the same way.” He took a step away from the wall and held his arms out toward her. “Sibling hug?”

  “Just this once.” Jackie smiled lightly before leaning into him. “Ouch! Bro, watch the arm.”

  It really would just be once, wouldn’t it?

  An eternity passed before Jackie and Jay pulled away. That night, standing next to each other at the Grovestown dance, Jackie forgot about the game. She forgot about Capsule’s threats and all of Peter’s and
Kat’s memories she’d experienced earlier today. She had successfully escaped from the game—escaped from time.

  But it was too sweet to last.

  “You’re not gonna say hi to me?”

  Jay nearly jumped at the girl’s voice. “Whitney? What are you doing in Grovestown?”

  Whitney. Jackie recognized the name from the Level Two memory—when Jay first arrived at the Pike household to speak to Emmeline. Kat had been planning to meet Whitney at Cherry Ice, but Whitney flaked.

  “Oh, you know how I am. I’ll go to any school event that opens its doors to me. Even in Grovestown.” Whitney’s thick hair glowed golden under the pulsing lights. “Nice getup, by the way. Looks like you’re heading to the movies.”

  “It was a last-minute decision to come.” Jay looked down at his graphic t-shirt and jeans. “I wasn’t—”

  “I’m kidding. You make any outfit cute.” She pointed at Jackie. “Who’s she?”

  “My sister.” Jay gave Jackie an encouraging smile. “Jackie, this is Whitney. Kat’s friend.”

  “Am I not yours?” Whitney cocked her head to the side, the smile vanishing from her face as she turned to Jackie. “Little sister, huh? What’s your name?”

  “Jackie.” She pursed her lips. Like my brother just said.

  “Whoa, that’s cute. You’re really pretty by the way.” Whitney was quick to draw her attention back to Jay. “So did you hear the news?”

  Jay sighed, expecting drama. “What news?”

  “So I was at home trying to call Kat, right? And it keeps going straight to voicemail. Then a few minutes later I get a call from her dad, and he’s all freaked out because he can’t find Kat anywhere. He’s like, about to cry—that freaked out.”

  “Oh yeah?” Jay smiled weakly. “Is Kat okay?”

  “So that’s the crazy part!” Whitney held her phone out in front of him. On it was a photo of the SUV in the background, the camera focusing on a hand holding a clothing tag from Closets & Beyond. Jackie wanted to observe the photo longer, but Whitney pulled her arm away. “You know Owen, right? From Key Club? He thinks Kat stole his car, and the police found it somewhere in Ravensburg. Totally wrecked.”

  Jackie rolled her eyes. That’s an exaggeration.

  “They think she’s the same girl who shoplifted from some thrift store, and according to one of the employees, there was a guy with her. And you wanna know the craziest part?”

  Jay and Jackie leaned forward in unison.

  Whitney brought her palm to the right side of her lips. “That guy was Peter Moon.”

  Jackie clenched her fists, trying to keep her fears subdued. “And how do you know that?”

  “Easy. His family called the police tonight when he didn’t come home from school before five, which apparently is really rare for him. I don’t find that hard to believe. But anyways, that thrift store employee saw a photo of Peter and recognized him instantly.”

  Jackie’s heart sank. The three of them had come to the Grovestown dance for a chance to live like Isabella, but this dance in Grovestown—it was only temporary. Unless they won the game tonight, this would be their last chance to ever live in the moment. Maybe, in this case, they really did have to live for the future. Just a few hours of sacrifice—that was all it would take.

  It’s just a game. Calm down. Jackie’s fists loosened, regaining control as the player. “Was there anyone else?”

  “Don’t think so,” Whitney said.

  Perhaps Capsule had covered Jackie’s tracks.

  “Interesting.” Jay stepped forward, swooping an arm around Whitney’s shoulder and guiding her toward the snack table. “You know what? We should get something to eat.” He dangled the keys in his free hand as they walked away, looking over his shoulder at Jackie to prompt her to take them.

  Jackie wrapped her warm fingers around the keys as she passed her brother and stormed toward the crowd. She squeezed between students, stepping onto a few feet in the process and not bothering to apologize. It didn’t sound like Whitney cared enough to keep a secret, so they’d better not take any chances.

  “Oh great.” Peter spotted Jackie a few feet away, sensing trouble. “What’s wrong?”

  Kat went limp at the sight of Jay’s keys in Jackie’s hand.

  “Whitney’s here,” Jackie said.

  Peter took a step closer, turning his ear in her direction. “What?”

  Jackie sighed before raising her voice. “Whitney’s here!”

  “Whitney?” Kat slammed a palm against her forehead. “Dammit! I should’ve known she’d be here.”

  “Let’s hurry.” Jackie turned around, knowing they’d follow her.

  As Jackie squeezed out of the crowd, she caught a glance of Jay and Whitney by the snack table. By the time she reached the back door, Jay had caught her eyes. He smiled, and Jackie smiled back. Yes, Jackie wanted to win the game. And yes, Jackie wanted to save Peter and Kat. But at the same time, she also knew that playing the game meant leaving her brother behind. Losing everything they’d gained at the Grovestown dance.

  Capsule was finally coming to an end. Both the good and the bad—it would all be over soon.

  Jackie burst through the back door of the gym. The air outside had grown significantly colder now, and goosebumps instantly formed on her arms. They’d re-entered reality. Re-entered the game.

  “I’ll take the keys.” Kat plucked them from Jackie’s grip.

  Jackie turned left, heading down the side of the building and toward the parking lot, but she didn’t hear Peter’s and Kat’s footsteps behind her. When she turned around, they stood with folds across their foreheads.

  “Actually, Jackie, we…” Peter took a deep breath, preparing himself. “We were thinking Kat and I could go alone this time.”

  “At the end of the day this is our problem, not yours.” Kat gripped the keys tighter in her hands, knuckles draining of color. “We really don’t want to drag you into this any longer.”

  Jackie shook her head, smiling. “You’re not dragging me.”

  When Kat nodded at Peter, he held his palm out. “This’ll be over soon anyways. Last level, right?”

  Jackie scoffed at the sight of his palm. She knew exactly what he wanted. Peter wasn’t asking for her hand. He wasn’t asking for help. He wasn’t inviting her along. No—he wanted her phone.

  He wanted the controller.

  “Worst case,” Kat said, “it’ll be safer to have you here as backup.”

  Jackie reached for the phone in her back pocket and unlocked it to check the countdown one final time.

  06 HOURS : 49 MINUTES : 21 SECONDS

  She placed the phone firmly onto Peter’s palm—maybe a little too firmly, because his eyelids flickered at the impact. As Jackie pulled her hand back to her side, Peter folded his fingers around the phone, establishing himself as the new player. Together, Peter and Kat walked past Jackie and into the parking lot of Grovestown High.

  They didn’t say goodbye.

  #389

  YEAH, I NOTICE everyone. Even the nobody. It’s funny how people think Jackie Mendoza is the smart, quiet kid just because she keeps to herself and turns her homework in on time. She’s literally on her phone every time she can be. I sit next to her in math, so I’d know. She’s on her phone before class, as soon as she finishes her assignments, and even while walking through the halls. I’ve never seen one other person at Brookwood who wastes as much time as she does. She traps herself in video games to the point of complete social isolation.

  Jackie has the potential to do something with her life, but instead she wastes it away on screen time. But hey—I can’t complain too much. We need people like her so the people on top can thrive. Can’t have the rich without the poor or the smart without the stupid. That kind of thing. But damn, it really gets on my nerves to see.

  Moon.
/>   06:43:43

  “BRAKES, BRAKES!”

  Peter’s screaming nearly made Kat swerve off the road. She jammed her foot against the brake pedal, the car decelerating around a sharp right turn so fast the momentum slammed Peter against the passenger seat door.

  Peter gripped his head to ease the impact from hitting the window. “You’re slowing down way too late. It’s really not that hard.” He took unnecessarily deep breaths, emphasizing his discomfort with having Kat behind the steering wheel. “Gosh, you’ve got to be the worst driver I know.”

  “Well that would make perfect sense, Einstein, considering how this is my first time on the road.” Kat couldn’t tell if he was joking around or actually trying to get on her nerves, but she wasn’t in the mood for either. “And the stakes are pretty high right now.”

  “Can I drive?” Peter reached for the steering wheel, and she swatted his hand away. “Please?”

  Their final location was at the far end of Grovestown, ten minutes at most from the dance, and they were already halfway there. Kat struggled accepting the fact that she wanted more time in this world, but it was true. She wasn’t eager to win the game like Jackie was. Although she knew it was in her best interest to complete the levels, that didn’t mean she wanted to. It was a chore. Something that had to be done, but no one wanted to do. She’d felt so at ease at the Grovestown dance—more rested than she’d felt in years—and that was one thing she could thank the devilish game for.

  “It took me two weeks to get myself into a car after Emmeline died. I know I come off as reckless and stuff, but to be honest with you, I always thought I’d be too scared to drive one myself.” Kat pressed her back against the seat as she drove, her fingers loosening around the steering wheel. “But now I’m starting to get why my sister loved driving. I’m pretty comfortable right now, and I don’t even have a license. Or a permit for that matter.”

  “And you’re speeding.” Peter pointed to a speed limit sign further down the road. 35mph.

  “And I’m speeding.” Kat grinned at the car’s odometer, which read 50mph. “That really says a lot.”