The minute the three of us got out the door, I sensed something wasn't right. Maybe it was just my gut growling too much because of the fact that I hadn't eaten in days. Or maybe it was just that feeling of loneliness I had ever since Jeanette... well, you know... left. Now, it was just me, Ally, and our new companion Dustin, who seemed to be hiding something from us.
"So, how's life here?" Dustin asked, his curiosity seeming to get the best of him.
"It's alright, I guess," Ally replied. "The beauty of the woods down here is amazing, and when you're looking at it during sunset, it's just so surreal."
"The education here isn't bad, either," I added, "though another lab would be great."
"I have to agree with you on that, Si. We do need a new lab."
"You mean I might actually be safe down here in L.A?" Dustin inquired, excited.
"Uh... I don't know about that, but I don't see why it wouldn't be."
"Cool!" He turned to us, and the three of us stopped to look at each other. "You know what? You guys aren't as bad as I expected, especially you, Simon. I knew you were cool already, Ally."
"Uhh... thanks," Ally and I said. The two of us looked at each other. "Damn it!"
"Man, I have to stop doing that," I said to myself.
Night soon fell upon us as we made it to the northern state line. We found this old coffee shop and decided to stop in.
The place was deserted. There was nothing but styrofoam cups and empty tables. There wasn't even a cashier behind the counter. It was completely lacking of people.
"Well, so much for a warm welcome," Ally remarked.
"Yeah," Dustin agreed. "This must have been the worst diner in the county!"
I laughed. "What do you think the condemned sign on the front door means?"
Dustin slapped his forehead. "God, I'm an idiot."
Ally giggled, leaving me to be the only one sane in the room.
The three of us heard a cough, jumping when it echoed through the diner.
"Was that either of you?" I asked, turning my head back.
"Not me," Ally hesitated.
"Wasn't me," Dustin added.
The cough sounded again, appearing to come from behind the counter.
Ally grabbed my arm. "Let's get out of here."
"Dustin, take her outside," I told him. "I'll handle this."
As told, Ally was escorted out, Dustin holding her up. In the meantime, I headed towards the counter.
The next thing I heard was crying, but I figured that was Ally outside. Little did I know, we were about to be allies with another stray; this time a human.
I saw someone's foot hang out from the shelves behind the counter. Moving in on the kid, I found out he was a boy only about my age with black hair, glasses, and a blue suit with a red bowtie.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him gently, trying to calm him down.
He began wiping his tears away, but he didn't say anything in reply.
Strange, I thought. "Ally, Dustin, everything's okay in here. He's harmless."
"What do you mean 'he'?" Dustin questioned, a confused look on his face.
"It's only a kid, but what the hell is he doing here?"
"You got me," Dustin admitted. "All I know is we need to get him out of here before he chokes to death." He pointed towards the kid.
I followed his advise and helped Ally pick him up. "You're right. He's gonna starve if he stays in here any longer."
We took him out of the room and gave the boy room to breathe. He stood up and brushed himself off.
"What happened?" Ally asked, kneeling down to hug him.
In a fairly soft voice, he answered, "I got lost on my way to solve a mystery. Do you guys know where Washington is?"
Ally's face lit up. "Yeah, we were just on our way there! You wanna come?"
The boy hugged Ally. "Thank you!"
With the boy's hand in hers, she led the four of us past the state line into Oregon. My attention was fixed on the boy, and he looked strangely familiar.
"What's your name?" I asked him.
He smiled and turned to me, a cheery look on his face. "Edogawa. Conan Edogawa."