A New Mission: Do I Know You?
We are nearing the end of my story. It has been a long run and it is finally drawing to an end. You may find some big surprises in the upcoming chapters and some disturbing facts, just to warn you. But I don't want to keep you waiting so I'll just get into it.
It was time for a new mission. My last mission, if you remember, was to search for the Force's of Nature, Thunder and Lightning. We didn't find them, but neither did the Scath so I guess it all works out. This mission was to be my first solo mission. They told me it was to be one of the most important missions a Masked could do, so at first I was excited. Until I learned what it was.
My mission was to retrieve supplies, namely groceries. My big important mission was to go grocery shopping at the local Safeway. Real fun.
So, I went out to the Safeway, obviously not in my Masked uniform. I was given a list of about 200 items and $500 to buy it with.
I was at the store, grabbing the items on the list and throwing them into the cart. Typical items, like powdered milk, and caned soup, all of it really cheap. I wasn't even really there; my mind was far away from there. As I was walking along, I bumped into a girl about my age also doing her shopping. I knocked the bag of chips and a few cans of bean dip out of her hand held crate.
"Oh, I'm sorry." I said. I started to pick up the chips and dip and was just putting them back into her crate. Then I saw her face. "Arella?"
"Who wants to know?" She asked.
"Arella, it's me. Slade." I said.
"Slade? Really?" She said, then "It is you! I haven't seen you in almost six years."
Arella was a friend of mine when I was in school. We were in the same class from kindergarten through 5th grade. My other friend, Marth from the beginning of this story, was also with us through out our entire school time until I became a Masked.
"It's so great to see you. You're a junior now, right?" I asked.
"Yeah, but where have you been? You just kind of disappeared way back. And then your mom..."
"Don't remind me." I said. I still didn't like to remember. "I've been off, doing my own thing. I just felt that school wasn't for me. Remember our old karate class? I've been working on that." I just had to come up with a reasonable excuse. It seemed to work.
"You done here?" She asked.
"Yeah, just leaving." Then a thought came to me. "Hey, can I take you out tonight? I'm buying."
"No thanks, Slade." Arella replied. "But, prom's coming up and I still don't have a date, do you want to come with me?"
I was paralyzed. I didn't know what to say, so I said the first thing that came to mind. "Yes."
"Really?"
"Yeah, sure. It'll be a good chance to get back in touch. What night should I come to pick you up? You still live in the same house, right?" I asked.
"Yes, I do. And Tuesday of next week at 9:00. You can do that, right?"
"Of coarse I can. You can count on it." This single conversation would led to the end of all these events, as you will see.