Cast & Fall (12 page)

I
drove through traffic, hoping Sam was already there to take our spot
at the serving station. Sam and I had been volunteering together for
the past two years. There was an average of about twenty five
volunteers each month, who cook meals, serve and clean the dishes for
the homeless.

It
was still breakfast time and we usually stay all the way through
lunch and help with the cooking. When I got there, I immediately put
on my apron and was glad, Sam was already there. I put on plastic
gloves and placed four pieces of pancakes, eggs and toast on a paper
plate and handed it to a homeless man. He wore a dingy gray shirt
with holes and permanent grease stains. Though, it could have been
white at one point. His faded jeans looked like it belonged back in
the acid wash retro of the eighties that suffered the same fate as
his shirt. His bristly, wiry hair was matted unto his head. His face
wrinkled from the sun. His teeth was almost tar black from what
little remained of his teeth.

“
Good
morning Roland.” He was one of the men that was a regular. He
usually didn’t say much. As soon as he got his plate, he moved
to Sam’s table. She handed him a cup of orange juice, napkin
and plastic silverware. Half an hour after I got there, the line had
gotten shorter.

We
only served breakfast until nine thirty. After I handed my last
plate, I picked up some of the left overs and used paper plates and
threw them into the trash. Sometimes I wonder if we really make a
difference—a couple of meals aren’t enough to help these
guys. I went to the small kitchen to help prepare lunch.

“
What
are we having today?” I inquired. Miss Nancy was in charge of
the menu. She also assigns all the tasks especially the shopper for
the month.

“
Spaghetti,”
she announced. I would have to say, one out of every five meals
that’s what we cook and serve. I took out two big pots and
filled them with water. I placed
both
on the stove, turning on the gas and setting it to medium heat. I
started
preparing
the salad. Grabbing the greens from the refrigerator, I washed them
in cold water and chopped them. When the water was boiling, I stacked
the hard pasta,
pushing
them in and occasionally stirring until there were no longer any
clumps.

Ms.
Nancy and a couple of people were working on the sauce and garlic
bread. The
aroma
made my stomach hungry a little bit sooner. I drained the pasta
almost immediately when it was
al
dente,
cooled
it and transferred it to several foiling pans, stirring a little
olive oil to give it a nice sheen. I went into the dining room. The
atmosphere was casual. For some of the volunteers, they just stay,
talk and hang out with the homeless. I saw Sam sweeping. She looked
up and smiled at me.

“
Sorry…I
overslept,” I murmured.

“
I
can see that. Hey, let‘s study again next Thursday or Friday.”
she suggested.

“
Sure.
We can make it our regular study nights.”

“
Do
you wanna go shopping later…I mean after we‘re done
here?” she sounded more enthusiastic than usual.

“
I
have a date next week and I need help putting on the perfect
ensemble.” Her mouth twisted into an excited smile.

“
When
did this happen…I barely saw you yesterday?”

“
This
guy from the gym, called me last night and we talked and talked…and
talked…which is why I’m a little tired today, too…his
name is Al.”

“
Wow…Yeah…sure…”
I said eagerly. I could definitely use girl-time.

Sam
and I held something different than the rest of the girls. For some
reason, we connect in many different levels. We have the same taste
in many different things. We like the same music, the same clothes
and the same passion to somehow make a difference.

It
was about noon. A cluster of men and women in mismatched dirty
clothes, started lining up. Some of them were the same from that
morning. After everyone had finished eating and the last trash had
been picked up, I headed to my car. Sam followed me to my house so I
could change and then we headed to our favorite café. While we
were there, we decided to call the rest of the girls.

“
Hey
Avril, do you want to meet us at the Cafe. I’m here with Kat
and we’re going shopping afterwards.”

“
How
long you guys gonna be at the cafe?”

“
Maybe
another half an hour.”

“
Why
don’t I just meet you in a couple of hours…late partying
last night…got-a-throb-bing-headache…thought College
was supposed to be fun.”

“
K,
meet us at the Roast Coffee Shop at the Palace Mall. But call us
first before you leave.” When I dialed Michella’s number,
her voice mail came on.

“
Michella,
it’s Kat...wanted to see if you want to hang out with me and
Sam? We’re at the cafe. Call me.” I sipped my raspberry
frappuccino. Taking the straw out of the cup, I licked the whip
cream. I was about to finish my half Panini chicken sandwich when my
phone rang.

“
Hey
Michella, Do you wanna go shopping with us? Sam has a hot date and
I’m in desperate need of a pedicure.”

“
Sure,
I’ll come now, I can be there in forty five. Rob’s at the
shooting range with his uncle and some of the guys.”

“
We’re
heading to the Palace Mall now, we’re meeting Avril at two
o’clock. When you get there just call us or go directly to
Frenzy
.”
I managed to get a hold of Airi but she
was
in the middle of helping her cousin move. Sue was also busy.

The
Palace Mall was one of the biggest malls, so knowing which stores we
wanted to go to first, was crucial. Sam and I hit the
Fashion
Frenzy
store
first, which was our favorite place. They had great selections, from
casual dresses to evening gowns. They also sold accessories and
shoes. Sam and I went through racks and racks of clothing. Between
the two of us, we pulled out about twenty dresses.

“
Okay,
let’s start with these,” I said, as I handed her the
selections I picked out for her. I sat down on a chunky red chair in
front of the dressing room, while she went to try everything on.

She
started with the short blue dress. It had an open back. The front was
covered up to the collarbone. It was loosely fitted and ran all the
way just right below the knee.

“
TADA
watcha think?” She paraded it in front of me.

“
I
like it,” I said. “Lets keep that in mind and try on the
rest.” She tried several long ones just for fun. She also tried
on a lavender dress that looked promising. Then, she came out in a
black chiffon fabric that had the fifties feel to it. It fitted her
perfectly. “That’s it!” I squealed. Even she knew
it was the one. “Maybe they have one in my size.” Sam and
I share the same passion for anything eclectic and vintage. I tried
it on and it looked great on me too.

“
Get
it,” she yelled, “it’s fifty percent off.” I
decided to buy it. Sam and I probably have ten outfits that are the
same. Of course, it was always tricky when we did go out together,
making sure we didn’t dress in twin attire.

“
Hey
guys!” it was Michella.

“
So
who’s this guy you’re going out with?” She
questioned and grinned.

“
His
name is Al, I met him at the gym,” Sam whispered, all goo-goo
eyed.

“
Do
we know him?” Michella asked.

“
Well…If
the two of you had shown up last week, you would have,” she
scolded.

“
This
is really going to make me want to work out more often,” her
shrilled voice scratched my ear drums.

“
Hey
whatever works,” Michella, giggled. We devoured five more
stores, met Avril at the coffee place then we headed to Susana’s
Spa and Salon.

It
was about a thirty minute wait in which we consumed talking,
gossiping and reminiscing how we missed each other and the things we
did last summer. Finally, we were able to rest our feet in the most
relaxing lavender soak. The foot massage was also amazing. Then, our
toes got buffed, filed and painted.

Then,
three more hours passed, we hit a couple of more stores before we
accepted the shop till you drop gauge, to finally quit. Feet all
glammed-up
,
we carried our loot to the parking lot. We gave each other hugs, then
Michella and Avril strode toward the east parking lot where they
parked, while Sam and I headed to the north side. I walked Sam to her
car and waved her goodbye. I was definitely tired.

On
my way to my car, I suddenly noticed it was almost dusk, so I hurried
to unlock my door, grabbed the handle and shoved my bags in the back
seat and circled around to the driver side. I placed my purse on the
seat. But before I could slide myself in, someone grabbed me from
behind. It happened fast. A strong grip locked one arm on my waist
and covered my mouth with the other. My defensive instinct kicked in
and I started kicking with both feet as It dragged me several feet
away from my car toward the forest-like side of the mall building. A
Crippling fear ravaged through my mind.

I
knew it was about a hundred yards until no one would see what was
happening to
me.
I brushed my fear with my will to escape and with all the strength I
had in me, I kicked from behind. I opened my mouth to bite what I
could and tried to scream for
help.
I wasn’t sure if I had made any progress. Everything happened
fast and my instinct was the only thing I was relying on. But despite
the enormous effort, it was no use—
it
was
so much stronger than I was.

It’s
iron grip was locked on my waist. I gasped for air. I couldn’t
breathe. I was suffocating. I suddenly felt dizzy and a cloud of haze
covered my eyes. Despite the veil of mist that was in front of me, I
could still see the dark and gray shadows that suddenly appeared. A
trace of familiarity emerged in my mind. A memory resurfaced—the
shadow just like in my—

All
of a sudden, I remembered them—the shadows, the metals. I must
be having a nightmare. They were moving quickly in my peripheral
vision. I couldn’t focus and make out the strange shapes that I
was seeing. The sound of swooshing air and metals colliding, like
wild animals, gnarling sounds came out of them. It sounded clear. It
sounded real. This was no dream. I didn’t know what happened,
but I found myself suddenly free from its solid hold. Realizing my
effort had nothing to do with it, I didn’t rationalize the
reason, I was going to get back to those later. I sprinted faster
than I thought possible without looking back. I ran toward my car as
fast as I could, got inside, slapped the door shut and locked all
doors.

As
soon as I found the key and knew that the ignition was on, I briefly
and quickly twisted myself to glance at the dark shadows before I
yanked my eyes back. I stepped on the gas, not even spending another
second to look closely. I took off from the parking lot. I bounced
the cooper and rounded the parking lot to get out into the street.
When I got to the main road, I accelerated faster than I was legally
allowed, until traffic forced me to slow down.

When
I got home, I ran upstairs, locked my room and sobbed at the thought
of my life ending that night. My fear crept up fast like gangrene.
Lying in bed, I felt alone all over again. How could I tell Steve
what I just saw or any of my friends.
Surely,
Sam would believe me...will she?
It’s
one thing to tell them about my fears and my vanishing nightmares,
how they all used to listen to the dark mysteries of my dreams and
comfort me, but to tell them I was attacked by an unknown.

I
don’t understand any of it. I felt cursed, like a dark cloud is
always hovering over me, waiting to take me into the darkness. I knew
none of it made sense, so I opened myself to the only possibilities
that’s right in from of me. It could only mean…I had
lost my mind or…what just happened to me was real—the
shadows were real. The latter, seemed to be the least plausible.

B
ang,
Bang, Bang, Aiming at my target and ears covered by ear protection, I
shot Steve’s new Smith and Wesson bodyguard. I practically
missed every shot. Rob was smirking as he saw my effort. I think he
liked it when girls couldn’t shoot. Adam and Ryan were busy
cleaning and playing with the ammunition to notice my lack of
coordination. Airi, Avril and Michella were talking to Sam and her
new boyfriend.