How Soon Is Now?

( for me and Loren )

The top of the table was hardly seen through the notebook, crumpled up papers, and the single novel Ryder continued to carry around in his back pocket. The first few pages were scribbled over with in blue pen, the poem he lived his life by. The rest of the novel was something he'd nearly memorized from reading it so often. To Kill a Mockingbird. Yeah, every word was basically etched into his brain. The notebook was something his therapist gave him, to keep track of everything and to know someone was at least getting every thought. As if they'd care. He scribbled a few words down, hardly lifting his head as his common nickname blew through the air. "Hey, Sharkboy, writing in your diary?" It was the quarterback, Mikey. Some insult. He didn't lift his head, focusing more on the words he tossed onto the page. Something about a teacher, then his sister, then some long lost father, then-

The notebook was gone. In the hands of Mikey himself. And he was reading it out loud. Blocking his way out of the booth and out of the restaurant all together, Ryder leaned back in his seat, training his eyes on the one opposite of him. He pulled his hood up, listening to the words flow out of Mikey's ridiculously dumb mouth. High school, all of that going around them and they don't even notice the waiter is a- Wait. What is that waiter? Some sort of one eyed freak? Yeah, definitely only has one eye...

I roll my eyes at the scene in front of me. Idiots in high school. Though, technically I still am myself. My eyes roam to the hunched figure of the one they're taunting. Cute, obviously a senior, and... And the blue eyes are strange. I slip out of my chair, running my fingers through my straight hair as I approach the bully first. "Hey, can I see that?" I ask in the lightest voice I can manage, smirking as I snatch the notebook from his already weakening grip. Wow. I trace a few letters with my fingers, feeling the indents the boy must have left by pushing down too hard. "Thanks." I breathe out, though no emotion is filling the words. Why have emotions for a total jerk? I nudge past Mikey, sliding into the booth right beside Ryder. "And stop being annoying. Sharkboy's cute." And I do what I've always done while facing someone I don't like: I stick my tongue out at him.

Right as she sat down, Ryder shifted, trying to move away, though the wall wouldn't allow it. He bent over, pulling the notebook from her hands before dropping it on his own lap. Since when has someone stuck up for him? Or even sat this close to him? He rested his head against the wall, shutting his eyes to wait till it was over. For her to go. "I'm not being annoying. I was gonna give it back..." Oh, god. Mikey thinks she's hot. Ryder squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, not even wanting to risk a peak at the mystery girl now. He felt her warmth and that was too much already. I'm not claustrophobic, and Mikey's the most popular guy at school. Maybe this some prank. Wait. The waiter. Ryder's eyes flashed open as he shot up into a sitting position, just to see Mikey and his group storm away and leave the path to the waiter wide open.

"Are you-" I break off as he springs back up, almost smacking my forehead with his shoulder. "Whoa, take it easy. What the hell just happened? Why were you being called 'Sharkboy'? And wow, I'm asking too many questions." I sink back into the booth. Not the comfiest seat I've ever been in. I inwardly groan, turning my head so my cheek is pressed against the leather. "What're you looking at?" I ask gently, not wanting to break the kid more than he already was. No, why the hell am I calling him a 'kid'? We look the same age. I turn my head again, trying to follow his eyes. And I see... Nothing. A waiter. A grumpy looking waiter at that. I frown, looking down at the papers to try and find a name. I'm not about to expect one from him. "Ryder," I say aloud once I find something that looks like English homework. "Nice name. I'm Loren. And if I'm annoying you more than that bully was, don't say so."

With several seconds of trying, Ryder couldn't hold back the smile fighting it's way onto his face. Loren was making it less awkward, or was trying to. He slowly turned his eyes onto her, feeling way too nervous. More than he should be. And right as he saw her, he wanted to look away. Mikey was right. She was hot. Don't focus on that. Tell her about that waiter. Now. "Hi... Ah... The... That..." Ryder shook his head, rubbing his forehead as he thought. No way to speak, not with that stupid mouth of his. She seemed interest in the notebook. His fingers fumbled to grab hold of it, as well as the pen. Writing would be simple. A quick note. He tore out a piece of paper, then jotted down two words. The waiter. That should do it. Somehow.

I raise my eyebrows, glancing from Ryder to the paper with a smirk. "Can't talk? Cat got your tongue? Fine, just don't swallow any hair." I sigh, take the paper and bite my lip. There are two words written in really sloppy hand writing. I'll have to help him with that later. "The waiter. What about him? Do you want me to get him or something...? Ryder, you'll have to put down more than that if you want me to order anything. Oh, and you'd pay. I think a toddler stole my change." I shrug, not exactly caring about how much money I have in my pockets. It seems rather stupid, actually. Money is paper, paper is disposable. Why should I waste my time buying things that are disposable with something that is also way too disposable? God, my head is gonna hurt after these discussions with myself.

Ryder swallowed hard. Mainly because after she said not to, he had to. Though there wasn't any hair. He shook his head slowly, prepared to write something else before stopping himself. Talking was a fear, something he had to push away before this girl got really annoyed. "No, I... I'd pay, of course. But... That waiter, you don't see it?" There's a ramble coming on, I can feel it. Shut up now. "He has one eye, you don't see that? I'm not losing my mind, am I?" You've lost it before, you can probably lose it again. Ten year old me wasn't the best, remember? He tried not to rub his forehead again as he looked over at Loren for the second time. "Please tell me you see it."

There's something in his voice that makes me pause. I try to look down the waiter again, but I still find absolutely nothing. Nothing besides freckled cheeks and a buzz cut. I glance at Ryder, frowning gently. "I'm sorry... I don't see anything besides a really boyish looking man." I shrug, and by some mothering instinct that should still be buried down inside my head, I touch his hand. Trying to comfort a total stranger, yet again. I seem to have some issues. Following strangers off the planet in blue boxes, following the same stranger with a different face through a forest with no wind, then this. Ryder. Though he doesn't exactly feel like a stranger. "What'd you see? One weird googly eye or somethin'?" I move to look over my shoulder. And I see it. I see what Ryder has been insisting I should see. And I laugh. I laugh like a complete six year old on Monster. "Holy crap," I manage to say through my giggles. "You were right, Ryder!"

Don't exactly want to be right anymore. Ryder mustered up a polite smile for her, though didn't know what else to do. "Yeah, I was right... But what does that mean?" His voice wasn't rough anymore, it sounded normal as if he had been using it always. Though that wasn't exactly the case, especially with that disastrous week and Mikey. He hated being 'Sharkboy' because of what he could do. Running his fingers through his hair with the hand she wasn't touching, he nodded lightly, though no one said anything. "What do we do? I think you only... I don't know... See it when you're touching me." That sounds weird. "I mean, I..."

I slip my fingers around his, knotting our hands as I grin. "I get it, Ryder. It's fine. You're some magic key or whatever. Don't freak out." I nudge his shoulder, then look back over to another booth. It seems far away, like a different world all together. Constant laughs and weird jokes that are way too loud. And that Mikey freak with the sudden glaring sport. I want to face off with him immediately, maybe with a staring contest. But that would only get some sort of rise out of him. I sigh, leaning my shoulder against Ryder's as I think. "Okay, I can see the waiter, who, may I remind you, is not an 'it'. He's a he with one eye and he wants you to accept his life choices." I smirk, proud of how clever and ridiculous I'm sounding. Nearly nineteen and I'm making short and clever responses like I'm in middle school. Playing with words. Oh, hell, what am I saying? It's fun.

Ryder nodded thoughtfully, looking at their hands together for longer than a second. Things like that don't happen. No, he was 'Sharkboy'. The one who plays with water, bending it at his will. Obviously, Loren would run screaming if she knew. Everybody does. Ryder stayed silent for a few more minutes, though he knew after Loren heard he speak, she'd probably want him to. Everybody did. He wasn't just that mute in the back of class messing with ice. No, he had some form of a voice. And finally some girl was paying attention to him, and she was hot, and expected to hear him speak. Massie could explain, she could. But there was no intention of dragging his little sister into this. "What do we do?" He asked again, his voice steady and low.

"Well..." I say softly, as if I have a plan. Plans are too formal, too expected. Too much to remember. I grin, jumping from the booth as I push his things together with my free hand. No way in hell am I missing out on seeing a guy walk around with one eye because I can't do things with one hand. I see a backpack on the ground beside the table and I quickly insert all his things into it. "Let's go." I sling his bag over my shoulder, nodding to the door. "Oh, and one last thing." I pull him to my side so I can get a clear view of the other booths. "Bye, bully guy! Whatever your name was!" I lift mine and Ryder's conjoined hands, wiggling them in the air. Just to bother the guy to all ends. Then, I turn to the waiter, "is it like wearing an eye patch?" I ask, almost curiously, though that's only to get the guy's attention. Like saying 'hello, I see you!' with a big sign... While in the middle of a hide and seek game. The waiter turns on us, scowling as he nearly charges at us. I yelp, pulling on Ryder's arm as I run to the door.

Before any comprehending can come into play, Ryder's arm nearly breaks from it's socket as Loren tugged on it. He groaned at the sharp pain, but simply put it out, waving awkwardly behind him at the waiter. He looked ready to pounce. Breaking grip on Loren's hand, he propelled himself forward. Towards the park, towards were that large landmark stood. The water fountain. "Come on," he called back to Loren, not risking to look back as his thighs connected with the hard stone circling around the fountain. He sucked in a sharp breath, trying to gain control of his heartbeats before turning around. That waiter looked bigger than before as it chased after Loren, closely on her heels. He ran a hand through his hair, though there was absolutely no time for that. His hands rose until half way from his shoulders, his fingers curving into fists. The water sprang to life, springing from the fountain as it propelled itself toward the waiter. And upon soaking the waiter's skin, it froze. A simple attack plan, one he used many times. The waiter could no longer move, therefore he was no longer a threat. But, the exploding part seemed easier on big monsters set on his death. His hands dropped to his sides as he glanced at Loren for the first time since the running started. "Now what?" Another simple thing. A simple attack plan, a simple question afterward.

I'm staring at him, but I can't find the strength to look away. His eyes are incredible. He says something and I flinch. "Right," I whisper, glancing over his shoulder to the frozen waiter. "That's different. Weird, but... Oh, what am I saying? Ryder, that was amazing." I grin, pulling him into a quick hug before I excitedly rush towards the waiter. I tap a finger on his forehead. "We can't exactly leave him here. Right out in the open. With the sun that will melt this eventually and-" I break off, feeling stares press against me. No, not me. Someone near me. I look back at Ryder slowly. "Hey, come here." I say gently, nodding with my head for him to stand beside the waiter and I. The waiter, whom looks like a normal human. A normal looking human Ryder just froze. "Keep your head down, Ryder. Please, just trust me." Trust me, right. Like I have a plan. But he did just save my life. I can at least help him get away from a gaping crowd and sooner or later, some cops.

Ryder pulled his hood up directly after Loren hugged him. He knew there would be staring, but this town already hated him enough. Freezing what looked to be a human waiter wouldn't change that. Obeying Loren's order, Ryder stepped over to her side, pushing his hands into the pockets of his hoodie as he stared at the waiter. "I shouldn't have done that," he muttered, grinding his teeth together before sucking in his cheeks. Yeah, it was a stupid, rash decision to use the water. But it worked, in one way or the other. He also needed help now, which Loren seemed to be offering up willingly. He looked at her with a nod, "okay. I trust you." He said simply, his voice sounding way too weak. He was the one with the powers, the one everyone feared, yet he couldn't muster up some stupid conversation to figure out what to do because of his actions. I shouldn't have done that. Maybe if we kept running... We could have lost him... Keeping his head bowed, Ryder sucked in a sharp breath. "We can bring him to my house. It isn't far. I have a car."

I find myself grinning. "Good, then I'll go get it. Besides, I have your bag." I finish my sentence in a sing-song voice, pulling his backpack from my shoulder so I can rummage through a smaller pouch. I find what I want fast enough. "Stay with him and if he starts to melt, use your water bending skills." I joke, pulling the straps of his bag onto both my shoulders as I rush back towards the diner. There is a parking lot right beside it, which I hopefully assume Ryder's car would be in. On the keys, which seem fairly old, is written "FORD" in big, shiny black letters. I roll my eyes, noting there are only several cars in the whole of the parking lot. And only three fords. I try the key on all of them, finishing up with a rusted blue pick up truck. The door unlocks and I smile proudly to myself. I pull the door open, jumping into the seat as I start the car up. In a matter of minutes, I have the car parked beside the park, only a few feet from Ryder and the waiter. "Need help bringing the iced waiter over?" I call to him, secretly wishing he didn't.

Ryder shook his head to her question, putting his hands on the back of the waiter. The ice molded to his skin as he began to move, the waiter seeming to hover inches above the ground. I feel like an idiot. He shook his head again, but not towards Loren, only to his thoughts. Once getting to the bed of the truck, his managed to get the waiter in with some difficulty. He climbed in after, opening the window in between them to speak to Loren. "Keep going down this street, then make a right turn. Second house on the left." He turned, resting his back against the side, his eyes trained on the waiter. It still had one eye, and somewhere in his mind, he knew some faint name for something like that. But it wouldn't come, it wouldn't exactly... Click. He rubbed his forehead, then ran his hands through his hair nervously. He shut his eyes, frowning before the word came. "Cyclops." He muttered, then quickly found himself gaping at the creature afterward. "Holy..."

I push the gear into drive, following the directions Ryder gave me to the point. I can hear faint words being said from behind, but I can't focus on what they are. They sound like a fuzzy radio station. I tighten my fingers on the wheel as I pull into the driveway. A woman is standing on the porch, as well as a younger girl and a man. They all look up as we appear. "Family," I whisper, sighing as I remember my own little brother and mom. My mom and her dumb dates. I roll my eyes, shutting the car off as I push the keys back into his bag. I pull the bag back onto my shoulders and climb out of the car. "Ryder," I say as I approach the back of the truck. "Your family is out."

This isn't going well. Ryder nodded, planting his hands back onto the iced back of the waiter before jumping down. The waiter seemed weightless, then again, with the ice molded to Ryder's hands, it made a huge difference. "It's fine. We'll put him in the garage." He turned away from Loren, walking towards the garage silently. He released one hand to dial in the code, then watched as it opened. Placing the Cyclops in the center of the space, he moved to make sure the door to the house from the garage was locked. Sighing gratefully that it was, he walked back to Loren, closing the garage doors first. "That should be fine for-" Another voice broke him off, a cheery, mother like voice. That would make sense because it is mom. Her short blonde hair jumped as she walked, her green eyes sparkling with a hidden smile. "Hey, mom." He mumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets again as Sally, his mother, pushed down the hood of his jacket. "Who's your friend?" She asked excitedly and Ryder groaned. "Loren," he said as Massie giggled loudly. "You have friends, Ry?" Massie yelled, rushing over as she studied Loren. "You look like a Katherine." She pointed out. Not a very mature fourteen year old right now. She's usually better, right?

I can't help but laugh. Because... Well, because it was funny. "Then call me Katherine." I shrug, looking up at Sally with a grin. "What Ryder said. I'm Loren. Or Katherine. Depending on the day, I guess." I look at Ryder with a smirk for no apparent reason at all, just because he seems way uncomfortable. I guess he has a right to be, bringing a girl he just met home already. To bring a frozen waiter to the garage. This is messed up. I cross my arms, looking at the man who never left the porch. Neither of Ryder's parents look like him. His sister doesn't either. Adopted? Maybe. I bite my lip, knowing it isn't exactly the right questions to ask. "Uh... I would steer clear of the garage. There's a guy with one eye in ice that really wants us killed. I might have made him angry."

Ryder sighed heavily, watching the facial expressions turn from confusion, to anger, to worry on his mother's face. "Ryder," Sally said hesitantly, moving to touch his shoulder. "It's fine. Loren's helping." He insisted, moving around Sally to get to the house. His step-father didn't say a word as he passed. "Jim," Sally snapped, glaring at her husband as he only shrugged. Massie was the only one left to even say anything at all to Loren. She smiled, looking up right at her, "you should follow him, Katherine." She said, nodding her head to prove the point as she turned away to rejoin her parents on the porch.

"Already planning on it." I whisper, rushing around Massie and her parents to get inside the house. "Ryder!" I yell, looking around like a frantic lunatic. He left me alone with his parents, fine. Sure. But I just walk right into his house like it's nothing and his parents don't even stop me. I roll my eyes, slowly moving to where I assume the kitchen would be. "Nope, not the kitchen." I mumble, glancing around the living room with a groan. "Come on, Ryder! Where the hell did you go in that short time? I literally just saw you. Stop hiding, would you?" I snap loudly, spinning and lightly falling onto the couch.

Upon hearing Loren's voice echo around the house, Ryder slowly walked into the room. A glass of water was in his hand. "I'm not hiding. I was in the kitchen." He said, sitting in a chair directly across from her. In his other hand was a leather bound book, which would prove he went to more than just the kitchen, but that was something he ignored all together. "I need to tell you something." He said, because he wasn't exactly worried about his 'no speaking rule' anymore. She had heard him talk more than once today, so speaking some more didn't seem like a big problem like it usually was. "Please don't hate me afterwards." Saying that because of Michael? Shut up. He ran his fingers through his hair, making it stick up in random ways, looking messier than before. "I'm not from this universe. None of my family is. Though, Jim's my step-dad. My mom is my mom and Massie is my half-sister. We came when I was two. My mother said it was for my safety. Though she'd never tell me why." He leaned back, already ten times more tired. Speaking drained him. He took a sip of the water. "She said the answers were in this book. Some Greek myth stuff."

I pull my legs onto the couch, frowning curiously as I stare at the book in his hands. "Greek mythology? Your mom said the answers to your weird powers and everything about you... Is in a freaking Greek myth book? What's that supposed to mean?" I slip off the couch, wandering to his side to look at the cover. In golden letters, it says exactly what he told me: Greek Mythology. I bite my lip, perching myself on the arm rest of the chair he's occupying. "Open it up, Sharky. Let's see what monsters your mom is hiding away from you." I say gently, putting my hand on his shoulder for something I'd like to believe is encouragement. Frankly, I have no idea what to expect from a silly Greek myth book. But he seems so serious about it, how his mom had told him this was the answer, I guess I'm just getting curious.

Ryder open the book gently with one hand as he drained the rest of the water. Setting the cup on the table, he dragged his eyes back to the book. "Ah, says some stuff about Zeus... Then there's... Hades. And Poseidon." His eyes got caught up on the last name, a whole page dedicated to that one god. Frowning, he ran his fingers down the words, reading quickly as if they'd be gone right when he blinked. "His offsprings, Demigods, can control water. Like me. Turn it into ice, make it snow, etc." Excitement laced his voice, though the reason was unknown. These were myths. Stories for religions in a world long since gone. Hardly anyone followed those beliefs anymore.