The completely official sequel to i hate snow!
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, brands, places, cybertronians, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or they are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, from earth or outer space, is purely coincidental. No money is being made from this story. This disclaimer applies to all chapters of this multi-chapter story.
Also: This is set approximately one month after the events of i hate snow! Weather in March in Pittsburgh is notoriously difficult most of the time. This year it's been weird, but past years were always as nutty as seen in i hate snow!. One day it would be 60*s and sunny, and the next would be 30*s and snowy.
Also Also: There's a follow up AN after this chapter. It's been a while since I posted anything, so I hope it's not too weird.
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Chapter One – In which giant robots from Outer Space don't care about mandatory overtime
I could swear there is someone, somewhere watching me
Beth had just shoved her cellphone into her top desk drawer when her boss, the ever irritated Mr. Fellowes, made his rounds. Praying the mean little man hadn't noticed her not so stealthy cellphone hiding, she tried to distract him by making a show out of sifting through the next stack of paperwork that needed data entered.
"Ms. Shaw!"
Wincing inside, Beth plastered a neutral expression on her face as she looked up at her boss. "Yes, sir?"
The man with the Napoleon complex sneered down at her. "Please remember that, except for music, cellphones are not permitted to be used during work hours. I watched as you sat back in your chair and sent multiple texts to someone."
Yes, the one time all week that she had relaxed in her chair and he caught her doing so. Of all the bad luck. "I'm very sorry, Mr. Fellowes. I only texted because of a family related issue. I had to reply to my mom." There was no way Beth was going to admit it was a text about her cat. "It won't happen again."
"See to it that it doesn't." With that, the man walked away to the center of the small room to micromanage someone else. Beth and five of her coworkers, those unlucky enough to be volunteered (as in no one wanted to do it, so the boss had picked out six people) for overtime on a Friday were stuck there until ten that night. The work was menial, data entry for yet another construction contract, ten contracts to be exact, but there were lots of pages of information and the information all needed to be entered ASAP into the company computers.
Beth kept a wary eye on him, and sighed with relief when he rounded a corner and went out of sight. A look at her computer showed her the time, 5:45, and she took a brief look over her shoulder to look out the window. She could see that the sun had set, and the reddish golden orange afterglow was the only thing remaining.
If there was one good thing she could say about her job, it was the view she had from her desk. Even though she had to turn around to see it, directly behind her was a floor to ceiling window with an incredible view. A vine sort of plant was on a stand in front of the window, brought in years ago by a coworker, and it loved the light from outside.
The view from the tenth floor was amazing, showing all of the stunning scenery from the slow moving Monongahela river to the dormant tree covered hillside of Mount Washington. She wasn't sure how much Mr. Fellowes had paid for the top floor office suite, but it was part of what made the job worth coming to.
Somewhat reluctantly, she straightened in her chair, eyes on her computer, and readjusted her earbuds. While she and her coworkers were not allowed to talk amongst each other, music was permitted through earbuds or headphones only. With a stealthy look around, and only seeing the tops of the heads of her coworkers peeking over the mid-height walls of their cubicles, Beth opened her drawer and slipped her cellphone into her jean's pocket. Then she took her tote bag out of her bottom drawer and placed it by her feet. Despite the zoning out music could help her to do, she was hungry and sneaking snacks would be another way to keep her mind on her work. Otherwise she'd just think about how hungry she was. That was a kicker, since lunch had been a disaster.
There were a couple of good things about the mandatory overtime. One was getting more money and the second was because they could dress down. The bad things included working late on a Friday, being under Fellowes' watchful glare, and not being able to pick up her cat from the vet. The first vet visit last month had been for a dental procedure, which had revealed her much beloved cat needed a more in-depth dental issue taken care of. That had been done today and luckily Beth's mom would pick the princess up.
Sadly, neither dental work nor mandatory overtime could be avoided. Her mom had texted to ask when said princess would be ready, as she had been afraid she had missed the pickup time. Disaster avoided, as pickup was between six and six-thirty, one soon to be spoiled mother would pick up one very cranky cat. Beth had a feeling a mani/pedi gift card for a nearby salon would do the trick to thank her mom for the favor.
With the Backstreet Boys solidly blasting "Everybody," Beth was getting back into the swing of things. Just thinking about what had happened last month made her want to turn up the volume and get lost in her work. Her head and ribs were fine, but her wrist was still giving her trouble from time to time. Fortunately, she could type without any issues. Otherwise she would've been job searching big time. Beth couldn't imagine an explanation of "I helped a guy reunite with aliens from space" being a good enough reason for being fired. Then again, running away from aliens and falling down a hill in the middle of the night had been pretty dumb, too.
Her wrist flared with phantom pain, so she hoped, at the memory of her fall. She hadn't ever been contacted by anyone she'd met that night. Maybe that was for the best.
Then again, Late and his car...Beth wouldn't mind seeing them again. As she typed, she absently wondered if he kept the car.
A scream, shrill even through the nearly sound proof earbuds, startled the woman. She looked up, and saw that all of her coworkers were suddenly standing up and away from their desks. They looked terrified. One woman, Karen, had fainted and collapsed onto her chair.
They were pointing at Beth.
Uneasily, she also stood up, removing the earbuds and putting them in her pocket. "What's wrong?"
A thunderous explosion of noise came from behind her. Even though Beth had instinctively dropped to the floor, as had everyone else except for Karen, she could see debris flying past her and she could feel stuff hitting her. Pain flared in her shoulder. Cold air whipped through the office, blowing paperwork everywhere. She reached out, grabbing her tote bag from the floor, and held it close to her. If they needed to evacuate and why wouldn't they with an explosion behind her, she wasn't leaving her purse. Beth got to her feet and shouldered her tote bag. People were running away, towards the doors, and Beth wasn't about to be the only one left behind. Two people had even grabbed a still fainted Karen.
It was then that a loud, nearly deafening roaring sound flooded the office, and it almost drowned out the screaming of people around her. Without any warning, or time to evade, five black metallic bands wrapped around Beth's torso. The bands contracted, firmly yet gently, and suddenly Beth felt herself being pulled backwards.
She could see the shock on her coworker's faces, those who had looked back, anyway. Then she felt shocked as she was suddenly ten stories up and outside the building at the same time. Numbingly cold wind gusted all around her. The roaring sound was unbearable and hurt her ears and made her head ache. She could see the traffic of the evening rush hour below her, white headlights, red taillights, and the red, yellow, and green of traffic lights, all illuminating in the dusk of nighttime.
Beth couldn't form a coherent thought beyond staring at the vehicles so very far below her.
She felt a massive wave of vertigo strike her.
There was a crack, like thunder, but massive, as if lightning had struck right above her. A split second later, everything went black and Beth passed out.
Three weeks earlier...
Beth Shaw walked out of Trader Joe's, both amused and weirded out by the cashier at said grocery store. The guy looked an awful lot like Keifer Sutherland, which was, of course, impossible. He'd done a double take at the cream cheese container amidst her cosmetics purchases. One of the other products had been a hair mask in a similar sized container as said cream cheese, and the man had joked that it would be funny if she had mistaken the cream cheese for the hair mask.
She had laughed along with him, but as she dug out the key fob to the Elantra she hoped he hadn't jinxed her.
Not that she would be that absentminded.
She hoped.
Plopping down on the drivers seat, and placing her bag of purchases on the passenger's seat, Beth looked around as she shoved the key into the ignition. Across the row of cars, she saw a tall, good looking guy who looked somewhat familiar. She frowned at the direct stare the guy was doing. Feeling unnerved by it, she pulled the door shut and left as fast as the Elantra, and the very busy parking lot, would let her.
She stared briefly at the guy, who was still visible in her rear view mirror.
The guy didn't move as she drove off.
Beth thought about the guy the whole drive home. It hit her just who the guy looked like. "That snobby British guy," she mused out loud. "Jason Stratford. No, that's not right. Stratham? Um...invisible Siri...remind me to google that guy when I get home."
The only reply was a loud bang as she drove through a very deep pothole.
"Motherfluffer!" Beth both winced at what happened and glared at the pothole in her rear view mirror. "Please be okay, car, please!"
The Elantra said nothing in its defense, but it did manage to get Beth home soon afterwards. Deciding to act proactively, Beth backed into the driveway. Just in case she needed the Elantra towed.
After she put her purchases away, Beth went back out to check on the tire. Fortunately it looked okay. The tire looked good and, from what she could see, the rest looked okay. The Elantra had hubcaps, not rims, but the hubcap seemed firmly in place. The plastic at the center was cracked a little, but Beth wasn't sure if the crack had been there before or not. She didn't wash the poor car all that much.
As she stood up and dusted her hands on her jeans, she felt a little chill along her spine. Turning around, she expected to see someone, but no one was there. Not even a squirrel or a bird, which was unusual. She shivered at the sensation, and rushed back inside. Only once she had the door locked did she feel a bit better.
Later that night Beth was taking one of the pills Ratchet had given to her. There weren't many more left and the dose had tapered off greatly since the first day she had taken them. Sitting down with her laptop, she opened up an email and began to write.
Dear Late,
Hey, asshole, what's up? My landlord gave me a repair estimate for the lawn you and your sexy car ruined. Guess what? It's more than I can afford and, while he doubtlessly way overinflated the price, I can't afford it! Maybe you and your Lamborghini affording self could help me out. If I only knew where you lived, I'd send you a copy of the bill you so thoughtfully wracked up.
Thanks again for that wonderful night on the town!
Ever yours,
Beth xoxo
As always, because she regularly found herself writing Late an email whenever she was stressed, she sent the email to herself. If she knew the asshole's email address, especially regarding the damage to the lawn, she'd send it to him in a heartbeat. Since she didn't, she figured emailing herself was as good as anything. At the very least, it was deeply therapeutic.
She shut the laptop and left it on her kitchen counter. She had to give her landlord props for using actual granite for the countertops when he renovated the place. She'd had the place before and after last summer's reno, and it was worth the $200 a month increase to her rent. He was a good landlord, but there were times when, in Beth's eyes, he seemed unsympathetic towards money concerns.
"I'm just glad he doesn't charge me extra for you, Princess." Though Beth directed the comment to her cat, who was sleeping on the back of the sofa, he barely opened an eye.
The woman shrugged and got her lunch ready for the next day. Her healing wrist still ached, as it was taking longer to heal than her other injuries had, and she tried to baby it. Still, real world things needed to be taken care of and didn't care about aching wrists.
Two weeks earlier...
It was a rare, very springlike day, and Beth decided to take advantage of the nice weather. There were slight moments of gusty and cool (though not cold) wind, but that was to be expected as it was nearly March. She had decided to buy a lunch, being that it was payday, and called in an order at her favorite Japanese place.
At first, she was going to take it back to her office and eat at the break room. But on passing by a row of empty outdoor tables, she chose to eat there instead. With her back to the building, Beth watched the people walking by. She loved to people watch and imagine where they were going, or check out cool outfits and get ideas for her own wardrobe.
Half of her chicken teriyaki was gone before she saw something that made her stomach clench.
Across the street stood a familiar looking man.
He didn't move, but made direct eye contact with her.
Though her heart was pounding hard, Beth forced herself to remain calm. Dropping her chopsticks, she picked up her cellphone and quickly took a few pictures of the guy. She thought about texting her sister, but instead emailed the pictures to herself, with a subject line that said "open if I disappear." She jotted down a quick note of when she had seen him and the creepy vibe he gave off, then sent the message.
When she looked back up, he was gone.
Looking around, she didn't see anyone walking away who looked like him. No one around her looked like him. Had he just vanished?
Though she wasn't hungry, Beth bagged up the rest of her food and quickly walked away, mingling into the crowds of people walking around. Even though she didn't like her job much, right now it was a point of safety as it was a secured floor. No creep was making his way up there without a badge.
When she got back to her desk, after putting her lunch in the fridge, she got out her cellphone and composed a quick email to Late.
Hey, asshat,
I don't know what it is that I've done, but some random creepy guy has been tailing me. I don't know if I pissed off someone in traffic or what, but he's weird. Weirder than you, and that's saying something.
If I disappear, try to hunt this guy down and get him for me, because he'll be the one to look for.
After all, you still owe me for saving your life.
Ever yours,
Beth xoxo
She attached the picture of the guy and sent the email to herself. She snorted when confirmation and delivery were almost instantaneous.
Eying the one foot tall stack of paperwork that someone had thoughtfully left on her desk while she was at lunch, Beth sighed and got started.
Boring, yes.
Job security, yes.
Wished she was somewhere else, most definitely yes.
One week later...
Her stalker was getting annoying.
So far Beth had seen him at the grocery store, at the gas station, outside of the library, and even at the Ross park mall, which wasn't one of Beth's usual areas to be at. Even when she purposely changed up her walking or driving habits, he was there.
How was he stalking her so thoroughly?!
Things were so weird that Beth had asked a coworker, who knew cars well, to look her own car over for any tracking devices. One day during their lunch hour, and with the promise of her buying him lunch, she and Zack had gone to the nearby parking garage. He had looked over the car thoroughly and found nothing remotely suspicious or out of place. Well, nothing other than the slew of issues the Elantra normally had going on.
She had googled stalkers one night, but quickly gave up when questionable results started to show up. Mainly concerned with results that got into details of things stalkers did, which freaked her out. Beth couldn't think of anything she'd done to have gotten under someone's skin so much. She tried to be courteous everywhere she went just so she wouldn't make someone who was crazy be mad at her.
Currently she was at the pet store, with a cart that had a lot of food and treats and toys for her cat. She wanted to reward him with toys after his procedure. Soft foods would help him immediately after the procedure. The dry food she picked out would come in handy after his mouth healed.
Beth had stopped by the betta display, looking at the pretty fish, when she saw him again.
The stalker was at her favorite local Petco.
They locked eyes and he smirked, which irritated Beth even more. Fear mixed with anger, and annoyance won out. She stormed over towards him, where he was standing by the ferrets, intending to grill him.
By the time she got over there, as a small family of four had walked between them, the guy had vanished.
Beth walked around the short wall made by racks of hamster cages and saw no one. An employee in a red shirt walked by and Beth stopped her with a quick wave.
"Can I help you?" the young woman asked politely.
"Did you just see a tall guy, bald, just standing here?"
The young woman looked around and shrugged, "No, sorry. Did you need me to page him?"
Beth flushed, realizing the girl thought she was with the guy. "No, thank you though."
The girl nodded and walked off, and Beth scurried to the registers.
Time to leave and now.
The whole way home, Beth felt wary and uncertain. Once she was home, with the door locked behind her, she busied her mind with getting stuff ready for Princess' care package. She was grateful her mom would pick him up, and decided it would be best to get some things together.
Princess twined through her legs and meowed.
Beth looked down at him with a smile, and he hopped up to rub against her legs. "Okay, mister, it's your favorite for dinner. Only because you can't eat after midnight tonight though."
As she got his dinner ready, she figured she'd have leftovers. With tomorrow being payday, she could get Chinese food for lunch, and have the leftovers from that for dinner. Meanwhile Princess would stay with her mom until Saturday morning. Though she could get him from her mom that night after work, Beth had a feeling she'd be wiped out from the overtime.
"I'm not looking forward to working overtime at all, Princess," Beth crouched to give him the dish of food. Standing up, she cleaned out the can and dropped it into the recycling bin. Leaning against the counter and looking outside, Beth sighed and wished it was currently Saturday instead of Thursday evening. Better yet would be a Friday night in the middle of summer. At least for now the weather would remain nice for the next couple of days. It had been a rough winter.
Her stomach growled just then, reminding her to get her own dinner. Leftover hamburger helper wasn't the worst she'd had, but after eating it for the last couple of days she was pretty much over it.
After heating up a modest portion, Beth sat down at the kitchen island and opened her laptop. While waiting for her food to cool down, she wrote another email to Late.
Hey, Captain Asshat,
I saw the stalker again. This time he followed me into the pet store. We made eye contact and he smirked at me. I mean, who does that? Who actually smirks? I mean, besides pompous assholes, I suppose. I bet you smirk. Anyway, it was really creepy and...and I don't know what to do about it. I've only gotten a couple of pictures of him, but nothing proving he's stalking me. He doesn't call, write threatening letters or emails, and he hasn't grabbed me or anything. As far as anyone that's not me who would look at this, I think all they'd see is a series of remarkable coincidences. It's starting to scare me. I just don't know who to talk to about it.
Aww, who am I fooling? You'll never read these emails. In the unlikely event I ever do get abducted, who will even think to look at my email account, much less look for these emails?
Well, at least it's almost the weekend. I need some time off to relax. I'm so damned stressed.
Ever annoyed, I mean, yours,
Beth xoxo
The next morning dawned with the ringing of an alarm on her phone and the angry growls of a hungry cat. It was still dark out, and Beth stubbed her toes trying to avoid stepping on her cat, who was relentlessly underfoot.
Biting back a string of angry shouting to avoid scaring her cat, even though he had no qualms as to making scary sounds, Beth turned on her bedroom's overhead light. Blinking at the sudden brightness, she quickly dressed in the work outfit she'd laid out last night - a black tank top, a blue short sleeved shirt, and her jeans. Black knee high boots completed the outfit, and she spritzed on a bit of philosophy's fresh cream perfume.
Princess meowed incessantly, and the woman fought back her instinct to feed him. Instead, she cleaned out his litterbox and refilled his water dish. Feeling a tiny bit guilty at ignoring him, Beth got some of her own snacks ready and put them into her red tote bag. An alarm on her apple watch let her know it was time to catch her cat and get him into the carrier. She'd left the soft sided carrier out from last month's vet visit, something that Princess surprisingly treated as any other piece of cat furniture instead of being scared of it. Now she quietly grabbed it, placed it on the island, and turned around to get him.
For a moment, Beth panicked, just a little. Her cat was nowhere in sight. It was ten till seven, and she had to drop him off at seven, which would give her enough time to make it in to work a bit earlier than her 8 am start. She didn't have time for her cat to play "you can't see me so you can't take me to the vet."
"Come on, my guy," she said calmly. "You want a treat, right? You know Miranda will spoil you. She's your best friend at That Place."
At first, there was no sign of him. Then Beth saw the tip of his tail flicking from under the bed. Knowing she wouldn't be able to force him to come to her, Beth sighed and went to the pantry for her secret weapon. Shaking the blue container of treats brought her exactly what she wanted. A black and white blur darted into the kitchen to sit at her feet.
Placing the blue container of Princess' favorite treats on the island, Beth crouched down and scratched her cat along his back. He made a murr sound and then squeaked as she picked him up. He struggled when he saw the carrier, but luck was on Beth's side and she got him into the carrier in one go.
"Phew," she grinned at the growling cat. "I'm sorry, my love, but this will make you feel so much better!" She got out a small baggie and placed a few treats inside, then put those into the bag of supplies she had for her mom.
Luckily, the staff at the veterinarian's office were super open and friendly, and they were able to assist with the needs of pet owners. Miranda was expecting a kitty care package and she would give Beth's mom the cat and the bag of supplies.
Beth knew her mom would spoil her cat, which was why she sent a limited number of treats. It wouldn't do for her mom to unintentionally make her cat sick from eating too many treats. Especially right after surgery!
After running through the house one last time, Beth loaded the cat and the bag into her car. One locking of the door, and a glare at the dried out gouge in the grass later, Beth was on her way to the veterinarian. The practice was only five blocks away, and there was ample parking in front of the building.
The vet's office smelled like apples and cinnamon. Even though it was just after seven, Beth was greeted warmly by one of the other ladies who worked there. She couldn't imagine getting up as early as these folks did and be able to greet customers with genuine bright smiles. Beth just wasn't a morning person.
Debbie smiled at her. "Morning, Beth. How's the Princess?"
Carefully placing the carrier on the counter, Beth returned the smile. "Ready to eat someone's face off. The usual." Though the words were troublesome, the staff at the vets knew Princess was all talk and wouldn't actually bite or scratch. He was a bit of a big baby in that way.
Debbie chuckled. "You have the bag for your mom, right? I'll take it with him and keep it with the carrier after I cage him."
"Here it is. I really appreciate it," Beth handed over the bag. "I told her you guys would call her when he's ready to be picked up."
"That we will!" Debbie took the carrier and bag. "Have a good day!"
"Thanks, you too," she scratched at the side of the carrier. "You be good, sweetie."
Princess meowed as if he were going off to war.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
There was a hiss in reply.
With a last wave goodby, she left the building and got back into her car. Beth's thoughts over work and her cat preoccupied her the whole drive in to downtown Pittsburgh. She considered it a victory to get her favorite parking spot in the parking garage. Then there was a secondary win to get her favorite soda, which was rarely in stock, at a nearby convenience store. Things were looking up!
But, alas, what goes up, must come down.
She'd just made it to the door of her building when she saw him. He was standing at the corner, maybe twenty feet away from her. They locked eyes and he looked from her, to her building, and back. He smiled and walked away. She felt her stomach sink to her feet, proverbially speaking.
Beth ran for her building and hurried on to an elevator that had its doors open.
The sooner she got to her secured floor the better.
She almost felt like skipping lunch.
The whole day had been a bit of a bust. From seeing the stalker outside her building, to Mr. Fellowes being on a ranty mcrampage, to Beth finding out she'd left her travel mug at home. The water cooler was out of cups, so Beth had to drink her soda throughout the day, instead of purely at lunch. Then lunch! She was so afraid to leave her building, she decided to order her lunch and have it delivered. Luckily she was able to get that done, and she met the delivery guy at the elevators. Lunch was the one bright spot of the day.
But seeing the stalker had left such a dreadful feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't bring herself to fully enjoy the sweet and sour chicken. She ended up only eating a few bites before putting it in the work fridge. She'd bring the rest home for dinner. Hopefully things would be better once she got home.
A call from her vet at lunchtime brought a mixed bag of emotions. While Princess had done very well, he had needed five teeth removed, and those extractions had brought up the bill from the low estimate of $600 to $1400. A round of take home antibiotics added another $50.00. Of course, fortunately it was payday (and rent had gone out for the previous week's pay) and she had most of the money saved up, so she could afford it, but there'd be no personal extras, like going out for lunch or keeping up with her streaming services, until the next payday. Maybe the next two or three paydays.
Stretching out her hands and arms to relieve tension in her upper back, Beth got back to the proverbial drawing board. More data entry, more ways to drown out the world and all of the mishmash of responsibilities that went with being an adult.
It was just after a late afternoon ten minute break that she got a text from her mom.
::Do I pick your cat up or are they bringing him to me? Or is that wishful thinking?::
Sitting back in her chair, Beth sighed and tapped out a reply. ::It's wishful thinking! You need to pick him up at six, no later than six-thirty. Miranda has a bag full of supplies for him. If you need more litter, you can stop by my place.::
::I still have litter from the last time I watched him. We'll be fine. I'll text you pictures of him.::
::Thanks, mom! I appreciate it!::
::Don't worry, sweetie. Just focus on that sweet sweet overtime money. Lord knows, being around that mean little man you call a boss isn't any fun.::
::lol Love you too mom. I'll call when I get home tonight.::
Her mom sent her a kissy heart face emoji in response. Beth smiled and, on hearing familiar footsteps, hastily slid her phone into her desk drawer.
"Miss Shaw!"
to be continued!
I'm sorry, I know it took forever and a day that was almost never to post something, but I got really writer's blocked. And also real life had been quite sucky the last few years. My cat, Moochie, who is the cat that Beth's Princess Kitty Meow Meow is based off of, died from kidney disease, a disease he fought for almost a year, in April 2017. When my sister was little, er younger, she named my male tuxedo cat that very name. (Just a heads up/spoiler alert, no cat in any of my stories will ever die. Here, they will live forever.) Then in September 2017, I lost my black and white cat, Little Bit, to old age. We think she was a Turkish angora, but we adopted her in 1998 from a kill shelter. She was so tiny, I don't doubt she was the runt of the litter. Then in March of 2018, I lost a stray cat to a hit and run driver. I was trying to find a home for him and he used to live on our front porch. Turned out Maso was microchipped but his owners never updated their information. And in October 2019, I lost Biggie, one of my two orange and white brother cats, to advanced kidney disease. He lived for two months after his diagnosis. Kidney disease is no joke.
PSA 1: If you have a pet, make sure you get them microchipped and keep that information current. Microchips can save lives, especially if your pet ends up in a shelter, be it a kill shelter, or a good shelter (ie one that doesn't kill for space or temperament).
PSA 2: Please stay safe during this corona virus. Don't think you're immune to it if you're a kiddo. You're not immune, but even if you were, you risk bringing it home to loved ones who aren't immune to it. Play it safe!
AN: I couldn't not do another story with Beth. This one will be maybe five or so chapters. Unlike in Operation: Foxface, I'm not trying to be secretive as to who is who. This story's summary pretty much tells you who the stalker is. Beth is oblivious because she is blissfully unaware of what is about to intrude in her life. After all, why would giant robots from outer space be interested in her?
Personally, I wouldn't mind having a Seeker in my life, if said Seeker was on my side. Especially Skywarp. Why yes, thank you, I'd love to visit Tahiti for the weekend and not have to pay thousands in airfare, and also get there in the blink of an eye.
Not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I just wanted y'all to know I haven't stopped writing. Kai has just been a bit…difficult…to get a hand on. Tell me your story, Kai!
Also, the Trader Joe's guy is real. He really did look like Keifer Sutherland, but the 1990s version. Also also, Beth hitting that pothole is a real world experience that I did three weeks ago. I'm still not sure if I did any damage to my baby, but I'll find out next Thursday when it goes in for a winter to summer tire switch. I'm really hoping it's okay, beyond scratched rims.