DC-95 : The Other Body

THE LAST PIECE

AFTER NOON passed by evening, I was ready before six.

I stood in front of the mirror, looking at my hair that might look chaotic, so I combed it again and again for the umpteenth time. I borrowed Claire's perfume and makeup, of course without her permission because she was in the shower. If I understood how to dress up, maybe I would have used all the makeup on my face. Whether it was luck or not, I just knew how to use lipstick so I did not have to sprinkle all those knick-knacks on my face and I would have looked as weird as a clown. I chose a soft and sweet peach color of lipstick, adjusting to a black hoodie with a bluish green accent on the sleeves. I wore casual jeans, it would be very suspicious if I told Claire that I would find out about Nicholas Hilton in girly dress or feminine outfit.

It had been an hour since I had been staring at my reflection in the mirror, and there was no change at all. In the end I was just preparing to be ready as I would get out usually. I really felt uncomfortable, somehow I wanted to feel different. Once again, I reminded myself that my goal to meet Francie was to ask about Nicholas Hilton. If he did not know anything about him, then I had to leave and look for him myself tonight, before tomorrow comes.

Of course I had prepared another plan to find Nicholas Hilton. Maybe I should go to Roy Castle again for the really last option, stay in his settlement until he meets Nicholas Hilton. A bad plan indeed, but I could not possibly continue this quest at Brooklyn University continuously.

Claire suddenly opened the door of my room, did not think she had finished taking a shower, I started to think that I had been wasting my time dressing here longer than I thought. "Are you really going out this early?"

"Yeah, I need a lot of time to find somebody whose existence is out of nowhere," I said seriously, while putting sneakers on my feet.

"Terrence called me just now," Claire entered the room with a sigh. "I said you were trying your best not to be seen by the public."

"I do not want to hear anything at all for right now, Claire. I am so sorry," I refused to listen to the story, which must have contained arguments of Terrence Falcon that would just make me feel worse. "All right, I'm going."

"Do not forget to always turn on your cell phone," Claire reminded me before I teleported to a small alley where I met Francie some time ago. Nothing different from this alley, nor the tall buildings that flanked the space where I walked on. I went out the aisle, looking around because they were coming home from work, so the highway was a bit crowded on the way home. I patted my pants and looked for someone to ask, so I asked the van ice cream dealer.

"Hello, Sir," I thrusted my head to look at him over the roof of the stall.

"Oh, hello lady! Nice hair you've got," he delivered a very warm greeting. I was flattered. He looked so warm with a curly mustache on, short and bulky body, and shiny brown skin that looked sweaty. "Chocolate or vanilla?"

"Oh, no, I just wanted to ask," I slipped my loose hair behind my right ear. "Do you know the way from here to Forest Park?"

"Forest Park! It is very close, Miss, just two blocks from here. You just have to walk straight in. And then you will find a cemetery, and then turn right," The ice cream seller explained clearly, his hands moving to show the way. "You will find Forest Park board."

I nodded, "Well, thank you very much."

I left the ice cream van and wished many buyers would come to him. Unfortunately, he was selling in a cloudy moment like this. The sky was unfriendly these days. The weather was uncertain due to weather reports about the coming storm and was expected to be quite large, though not as dangerous as hurricanes. The sun began to sink, and the sky began to darken. I looked back at my cellphone to check the clock, it was six o'clock, so I quickened my pace.