Numbers

Chapter Two

After a quick stop at Josh's house for a pair of sweatpants that Mina thought might hold up a little better, Mina and Thorn took Josh to pick up a bottle of meds.  There had been about half a dose left at their house; Josh had taken it and they figured they had about half an hour before they had to worry.  Thorn had kept her hood up until they made it to what Josh figured was a less human part of town. 

The pills were called Stasis.  They looked like a regular bottle of ibuprofen, which Josh figured was going to be easier to hide than blister packs.  The girls had checked his house while he changed and neither one had found any of it.  If his parents were psyane, they could just be out, but he didn't want to risk things going wrong until he knew more.  Mina had said it would probably take years before everything completely made sense, but when they left the store with two bottles of Stasis and some mayo, she promised to tell him more over lunch. 

"Oh, no.  No.  Not this place," Thorn said when they pulled into the parking lot of a fifties-style diner.  "There are a million other restaurants in this part of town, and you pick this one?"

Mina rolled her eyes.  "They have good burgers.  You don't even know if he's working today." 

"I don't care!  Go somewhere else!"

"What's going on?"  Josh interjected.  Thorn glanced down out her shoes.  "My ex works here, okay?  It's an ugly situation."

"Was he abusive or something?  Min, maybe we should go somewhere else." 

Mina sighed.  "Thorn, tell him.  You don't have to give all the gory details." 

Now Thorn sighed.  "We were engaged.  We split up about a year ago because he left me waiting at the altar.  I miss him all the time and it takes everything in me not to go running back."

"It's been a year.  For all you know he has a girlfriend," Mina said, exasperated. 

"Actually... um... A, that would make this even harder.  B... you know how sometimes when you're tired it's like you're drunk and you make really terrible decisions?"

"Yeah," said Josh, drawing the word out in confusion.

"I"- Thorn drew it out as long as she dared- "texted him." 

"What?!"  Mina exploded, "When was this?"

Thorn wouldn't meet her eyes.  "Like two weeks ago.  He's single.  Says there hasn't been anyone since me.  That he still loves me."

Mina opened the car door and got out.  "Come on," she said.  "We're going."  

Josh started following her.  Thorn was a little more hesitant, but she was worried if she didn't go, Mina would come back for her.  Besides, it couldn't be that bad.  At least the food here was good.  

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It was, in fact, that bad.  The hostess- one of the few people Thorn didn't recognize- had seated them and said that their server would be there in a few minutes.  There was a larger crowd than they'd been expecting, so the owner had called her brother to come in and he had just arrived.  That was the first warning bell. 

Then, Josh decided to pass the time by asking uncomfortable questions.  Those weren't so bad at first.  "How old are you guys?  Like really.  Is aging different for us?"

"Well, aren't you the charmer," Mina laughed.  "I'm eighteen.  We age the same way humans do."

"Eighteen," Thorn said, raising her hand a little.