Three Weeks [COMPLETED]

Chapter 26 - "You can't chicken out."

Stepping back outside, onto Main Street, it felt like a different day to Kit. She turned her face upward, smiling as she took in a deep breath of warm air. She skipped a few steps as a zap of energy traveled from her toes to the tip of her ears. She felt Edison's eyes on her and she glanced at him sideways. He was giving her an amazed smile.

She raised her shoulders self-consciously. "What?"

He just looked at her for a minute.

"Nothing," he finally said, shaking his head.

"What's next?"

She shook her shoulders. Partially to rid herself of the look Edison had given her, and partially, because she had barely moved in twenty-four hours and every inch of her was antsy. It was like her body had been storing her energy away until she was able to handle it, and now that she was ready, every cell in her body was vibrating.

When Edison pulled the list from his pocket, she tried to snatch it out of his hands, but he held it out of her reach.

"Excuse me, but I think you've forgotten that you are only the co-captain," he tutted. "I am still captain of this hunt."

She laughed and shook her head. She silently reassured herself that she had the bigger sword and let him win the fight.

"Fine. Oh Captain, my captain," she said, giving him a sweeping bow. "Where doth our hunt lead us?"

He smiled smugly, adjusted his crown and flattened the paper. He narrowed his eyes as he examined it. Kit's legs bounced as she impatiently waited.

"Any day now, or I might cry mutiny!"

He looked at her sideways before quickly folding the paper and putting it in his pocket.

"We have our heading!" he said, valiantly raising his sword into the air.

"Here we go!" she added, bouncing on her toes.

Their pace was quick as they walked along main street. Even though Kit had been in Lighthouse Point for almost two weeks, the only part of main street she had seen was Al's diner. The diner sat on the last block of downtown and she had never ventured any further.

She found the main street was idyllic with flower boxes on every store front, small tables outside the ice cream parlor and rocking chairs outside the boutiques. As they walked, Edison shared little snippets of history about the different shops. The stories rolled off his tongue so smoothly, Kit imagined these were widespread stories the whole town shared with visitors.

As she listened, she was again reminded how the town was steeped in tradition. There were givens that Edison didn't question, like ice cream at Heinz's on a first date, and corsages for school dances from Daisy's Flower Shop. Just like pizza at Pete's and milkshakes at Al's, traditions ran deep in the small town. She found herself carrying a hint of jealousy as she listened, even though she knew she had no right to be.

She had spent her whole life traveling the world with her parents. By seventeen, she had already seen more places than most people would in a lifetime. But yet, she couldn't help feeling she had missed out on those simple things most people took for granted. It made her wonder if a full life was based more on the people you had around you than the places you had seen.

"And here's the corner store I use to walk to after school every day and get Extreme Punch with my friends," Edison said.

It was the quaintest corner store Kit had ever seen, from the cheery red overhang to the red, white and blue flowers in the flower boxes and the patriotic buntings that hung below.