Chapter 31 - So This is Earth?

Doing my best to ignore the people bustling around, performing all kinds of strange rituals with their weird artifacts (some people here suck on this little tube to breathe fire?) Others were all standing around, looking out at the cars (?) waiting for something. In a bit I saw a big rectangle car thing stop, letting off a lot of people before allowing the others on. What's that about? I suck at ignoring people. Take the Subway. I looked around, wondering what that would mean. Pulling the card Miko gave me out of the only pocket a dress gives, I stared at the card hoping for clues. Place this on the square thingy and the driver will take you where you want to go. But where's the subway? Not seeing a single building resembling anything close to what Miko said, I began walking down the street. Since birth, I've heard so many stories from Earth dwellers and my elders about this place. All of them were bunk. This place wasn't pretty or anything, it was an insane amount of people running into each other while lost in their own worlds. There were even people in alleyways who bore a strong resemblance to the people back home who sold Shuga to kids. The drug, not the delicacy. I think I heard one of the Earth dwellers call their version weed. Where's the damn subway! Rounding the corner I let out a gleeful squeal, inviting many suspicious glances. Sorry, but I found it. And it barely took any time! Looking into the building I wondered how I would be able to hitch a ride to Kile though. It looked more like a restaurant than anything else. Miko, you better not be playing a prank with me. "What can I get for you today?" The attendant met me with a smile. Flashing my own, I pulled out my card. For some reason, he gave me a weird stare as I did so. Did Miko give me the wrong card? His stare only grew more suspicious as I said, "Uh, can you take me to Mount Vernon?" "Is this some kind of prank? Mike put you up to this didn't he?" His agitated expression only made me more confused. Who the heck is Mike? Also, why did he keep checking the door, as if someone else was going to come into this place? No one else wants to see Kile, right? Also, how do they use bread to travel? Realization dawned on me. "This isn't the subway, huh." The guy rolled his eyes and then checked the bread, obviously trying his best to ignore me. "Look, you're pretty and all but tell Mike to screw off. I told him to stop messing with me while I'm at work, but does he listen? No." "Who the heck is Mike?" Turning away from the bread to shoot me an annoyed glare he said, "The guy who told you to bother me. Short kid, red hair, freckles. Kinda buff though. Don't feel special either, you definitely aren't the first girl he's sent here. It's like it's his mission to mess with me." "I have no idea what you're talking about." As he changed the vegetables in these trays (isn't that gross to let them stay out? Maybe he uses magic to keep them fresh.) he muttered "Ok". As he turned to go through a doorway I desperately called out "Wait! I don't know who Mike is, I promise! I'm not from here, but I was told to go to a subway and that it would take me to this guy named Kile." He shot me a curious glance. "Kile?" Smiling I said yeah. "There's only one Kile I know. He hasn't really been talking to anyone though." Grief? Maybe it's him! If so what luck. He pulled out some weird object from his pocket. I tensed, expecting an attack. Instead, he just seemed to tap it a few times as he said "I'll call him for you, but only because we have no customers. If you're pranking me here, I'll call the police." Who the heck are the police? "Ok." His device made some weird sounds. After a few rounds, he swore under his breath and said "Pick up the phone dude." The device (phone?) finally stopped its music, and I saw some numbers on its screen. '0:01'. Some kind of timer? He held his phone out to me, saying "Yo, he picked up." How do I work this thing!!!l Taking the phone off him, I stared at it before some instinct told me to put it to my ear. I jumped as a voice said "Hello!" Miko's boyfriend knew some weird kind of magic?! "Ty, hello? Why the hell are you calling me this late." "Uh, hi." "Ty, you got a girlfriend? Damn!" "Uh, no. Uh, is this Kile? Miko's friend?" Silence. Did I mess up? "Did you say Miko? You know what happened to him?!" I tensed at his half-excited half-cold tone. Of course, he'd be surprised at that news, I was such an idiot telling him that way. "Uh, yeah." "You at the subway I'm guessing?" "I think that's what it's called." "Ok, I'm coming." Wow. That actually went smoothly. And I didn't even need Miko's help. I laughed at his card. "Hey, can I have my phone back now?" Phone. I repeated the word 'phone' in my head as I gave it back to him. "What did he say?" He said as he put his phone in his pocket. Oh, how I wished I hadn't worn a dress here. I love pockets, they are so useful. "He said he's coming here." The guy (Ty?) nodded over to a group of tables and chairs, saying "You can sit there I guess. Don't be expecting any free food though, I have no money and corporate's a bunch of assholes." What the heck is corporate? It took Kile only 20 minutes to get here, so I figured he must have been close. Well, he might have one of those cars, which in that case they do seem quite fast. In the meantime, Ty had given quite a few families food. It was like as soon as he helped me, the restaurant came back to life. I don't know exactly what I expected Kile to be, but considering he's Miko's friend I thought he'd be scrawny and weak. In actuality, he had quite the athletic build that I'm sure a few of the nobles would fawn over. Unless he was a commoner. Hmm, actually maybe a few of them would be fine with that 'disgrace'. As he walked in he performed some weird kind of ritual with Ty, where they slapped each other's hands and then curled their fingers together. "Yo Ty. Business crazy?" "Yeah, you know it. Of course, the asshole twins called off though. Uh, the girl's over there." "Girl?" He said as he looked over to me, both confused and excited. I did my best to look friendly, giving a polite smile and wave. Kile Girl? Since when was Miko able to talk to a girl? Especially one this hot! Feeling the butterflies in my stomach, I faced my biggest fear in hopes it would lead to answers. "Uh, you said you know Miko?" My heart was thundering in my chest as she approached me. I was never able to get over my fear of talking to women, which was the only reason I was still single. With all the times a girl in class would approach me, you would think that I would know how to talk to one. But no, my heart always fluttered in a panic. But I have to overcome this fear if she knows something about Miko. Finally next to me, she awkwardly held out her hand. As if offering a handshake, but unsure if she wanted to give one. Girls can be awkward too? Sharing a hesitant chuckle, I reached my hand out to dap her up. Well, if you can call it that. It was clearly something she had never done before. In a sweet quiet voice, she whispered, "Yeah, Miko sent me here to get you." "Miko's fine?!" I blurted out, not caring about the glances I received from customers. She laughed, saying "Eh. He acts stupid and gets himself hurt sometimes, but sure." I laughed, knowing that sounded exactly like Miko. "Where is he?" She paused for a moment as if thinking before saying, "Well, just follow me. Uh, but first you need different clothes. There's like, a whole festival of snobby people who will have a problem with that outfit." I looked down at my pajamas, wondering what she meant by a 'festival'. It's September, we don't have any Macy's Parade or New Year's Eve events coming up. ... "Hey Kile, you didn't tell me you have a girlfriend!" Crap. As I packed my suit I ran lies through my mind. Uh, she's from the book club. Uh, she's a cheerleader. Uh, she's a convicted felon. All of them I knew my mom would see through. For a second I thought that maybe it would be best to go along with it, but I quickly saw the huge problem with that. If she's an alien, she's not gonna be back here. "Oh, sorry. I'm not his girlfriend. Honestly, he seems kinda too shy for one. But yeah, I'm not his girlfriend, just a study buddy." My mom laughed, saying "Ok." Knowing my mom, it was a sarcastic laugh. Closing my bag with a sigh, I hoped my mom would believe the girl. Aruna. My mom has been pestering me to get a girlfriend for months, but they're just too scary to talk to. Walking downstairs, I waved to my mom saying "Gotta go!" before following Aruna out the door. I think my mom laughed, not believing either of us. I wasn't sure though, because the second I went through the door I found myself at some weird church filled with people from around my world. Teleportation!!!???