Chapter 6: The Black Market Car
"Wheeeee!" Mary and Vic squealed with delight as she hopped from jellyfish to jellyfish, marveling at how squishy their heads were. Vic remained on Mary's shoulder, as the jellyfish were so big, he was sure that if he tried to jump from one head to another, he'd fall and not be able to reach them since his size limited his reach. More than that, the luminescent jellyfish didn't seem to mind the contact, and they didn't even try to electrocute them. The pink one they currently rode on floated aimlessly across a vast, purple and blue void, as slow as a gondola ride. Though Mary did wonder how these jellyfish could live without water, as normal jellyfish lived in the beach.
"This is so much fun!" Mary exclaimed. "The jellyfish in my world aren't nearly as big as these, and they only live in water!"
"I'll bet!" Vic agreed before pointing to one blue jellyfish that was coming closer. "Ooh! Jump on that one!"
Mary stood up, waiting for the jellyfish to come as close as it could. Once it got close enough, Mary took in a breath and leaped. Thankfully, she and Vic landed right on top of the blue jellyfish with no problems. Both Mary and Vic broke into delighted laughter. Mary would never have been able to experience something like this back on Earth, which only further proved how much better this train was compared to home. Of course, she knew she couldn't exactly stay in a car full of floating jellyfish. There were no floors, and as fun as riding and jumping on jellyfish were, she didn't want to get reckless and wind up falling into the abyss.
"Mary! Vic!" Blanca, taking the form of a small bird, flew over to the two of them, flapping her wings. "I found the exit! It's just a little further!" She used one of her wings to point further up. Mary and Vic stopped to get a better look. Just as Blanca said, a red door with a gold handle was about sixty feet away from them, its bright, vivid color standing out from the darker tones of the jellyfish abyss.
After another round of jellyfish hopping, with Blanca supervising this time, they made it to the exit. The exit was on a flat platform, which allowed the three of them to stand on with ease. But before they left, Mary turned around and waved to the jellyfish with a smile on her face.
"Thanks for the ride, jellyfish!" Mary called out.
One of the jellyfish waved its tendrils in response to her goodbye before floating away. With that, the trio's fun time in the Jellyfish Car came to an end. They went through the exit, and Blanca expanded back into her normal form.
"I must admit, I haven't had that much fun in quite a long time," Blanca said, sprouting an arm to wipe some sweat off her head.
"I wanna do that again!" Mary proclaimed before she remembered something. "Oh! Blanca? Do all marshmallows in the Sweets Car change shape like you do?"
Blanca decided to explain as they walked across the bridge. "Some of us do and some don't. Those of us that do can change into anything we like, though as you saw in the Hamster Car, I'm unable to change color to match whatever I transform into. I need about a hundred more years of training to master that."
A hundred more years? Mary's jaw dropped open. If Blanca needed another century to master shapeshifting, and she was already five hundred years old, exactly how long could magic marshmallows live? What else could Blanca be capable of? The train in and of itself was already so amazing to young Mary's mind, but everything else inside of it was on a whole different level...and she loved it.
On the other hand, Vic had his eye on Mimi. "Hey, Mary? Do you always carry that stuffed rabbit around?" He asked, pointing to Mary's stuffed bunny.
"Yes I do! When I'm allowed to, that is," Mary answered right away, holding Mimi tight against her chest. "Mimi's my bestest friend in the whole wide world!"
"Even though she's a stuffed animal?"
"Stuffed animals are great listeners! And they never tell you to shut up or call you names or anything!"
Fair point, as far as Vic was concerned.
"Mom got her for me when I was four! Mimi's gonna be my friend forever and ever!"
Vic narrowed his eyes. "Ehh...suit yourself."
Mary's smile faded. Vic sounded a little put off by Mary's proclamation just now. She could tell he didn't sound angry or outright disgusted, but something about the way he looked at her after she said that didn't feel right. Luckily, she didn't have time to dwell on it much, as the trio had reached the entrance to the next car. Blanca turned the handle before the three of them walked in.
Instantly, Mary regretted going inside, and her face contorted with visceral disgust at what she saw. The train car looked like the impoverished area of a big city, with gray, dirty buildings surrounding the vast alleyway that spread out before them. Brightly colored graffiti covered most of the walls, but did nothing to beautify the grime. Stalls made out of wood, tarps, and metal bars lined the alleyway on both sides, parallel to one another. Lots of denizens walked through the alleyway, with some lingering at the stands, browsing the various lines of merchandise. There were even a few passengers here and there.
But the worst thing about it was the giant slugs. Many of the denizens that inhabited this car were giant slugs of all different shapes and colors. One mustard yellow slug approached them with a smile, though Mary was quick to hide behind Blanca. Oddly enough, Vic hopped off of Mary's shoulder and onto Blanca's head.
"Greetings, shoppers, barterers, and traders! Welcome to the Black Market Car!" The mustard yellow slug edicted in a nasally male voice. "We've got all sorts of merchandise available for sale and for trade! Please feel free to look around! I'm sure we'll have something here that tickles your fancy! Enjoy yourselves now!" With the greeting out of the way, the slug slid away.
"Ooooh! Now this is awesome!" Vic hopped off of Blanca's head, his brown eyes marveling at the scenery before him. "I'd heard about this car, but I can't believe I'm actually here! I bet I can net some good stuff here!"
Mary couldn't believe what she was seeing. Vic was actually happy to be here? Bile rose to her throat. Why would anyone want to be in a dirty, grimy place like this? Sensing her disgust, Blanca slid a reassuring arm around Mary's back.
"It'll be alright, Mary. We'll be out of here when we find the exit," Blanca told her soothingly. "We can get through this together."
In that moment, Mary did think of one good thing about this grimy place: The fact that her mother wasn't here to needle her about everything. That had to make things more tolerable. She hoped so.
The trio scoured the stalls to see if they could find anything interesting. Mary did wonder how they could hope to buy anything here since they had no money. She didn't want to take the bags of money she found in the Green Car, and in hindsight, she was glad she didn't do so, as they might have belonged to Ben Greene. But if they couldn't get anything here, what was the point of staying?
"Hey, Blanca!" Vic scuttled over to one stall, jumping up and down so Blanca could see him. "Bring my backpack over, will ya? I think I found something good!"
"Coming!" Blanca slowly walked over to the stall. Mary poked her head out from behind, watching as Vic crawled up the metal wire holding up the sign and hopped onto the wooden stand. Mary looked up, seeing that a gray slug with googly eyes was overseeing the stand. With a gasp, she hid back behind Blanca, barely noticing the fact that the marshmallow put Vic's yellow backpack on the stand.
"Hello there! What can I do for you?" The gray slug asked.
Vic smoothed out the tuft on his head, and immediately put on an air of confidence. "Might I inquire about the origins of these earrings?"
In no time at all, Vic and the slug were lost in conversation. Mary barely paid much attention, as everything else around her seemed to command it, no matter how much she wanted to ignore everything around her. The noisome smell of grime, dust, and slug liquids, the heavy moisture in the air that seemed to weigh her down, and the cacophony of voices that seemed to slam into her ear drums...Mary wished she could just bury herself in Blanca's skin and stay that way until they left the train car. But for all she knew, Vic might want to visit every stall here, and she couldn't force him to leave just because she wanted to. That was considered rude. But of all the cars she encountered thus far, this was the worst one yet.
Much to her relief, Vic didn't stay at that particular stall for very long. "Look what I got!" Vic showed Mary and Blanca a set of earrings and a jeweled box about the same size as him. "These earrings are said to have been left behind by a king who was on the train here thousands of years ago!"
"Whoa, really?" Mary exclaimed. So even kings and queens could find themselves on the train as well. Who knows what other royalty could wind up on the train?
"And this box," Vic put one paw on the top of the box. "Is made entirely of agate, dating back to the 19th century. I had to trade my second edition copy of Gray's Anatomy that I got from some passenger for both of these, but it was worth it! If you can believe it, this box and these earrings are worth a ton of money, and that trader didn't even know it!"
Mary could only grimace as she looked at Vic's acquired items. "They don't have slug goo on them, do they?"
"Last I checked, no," Vic replied.
"Well, you've made some interesting finds," Blanca said. "Why don't we look around a bit?"
The trio walked further down the street, occasionally stopping whenever Vic saw something of interest. Some slugs crossed their paths, and Mary made sure to keep her distance. She really didn't like the idea of being near giant slugs. Regular slugs were gross enough, with their slimy bodies and God knows how many possible germs they had, but giant slugs bigger than she was? Mary felt her stomach churn, and she knew it wasn't from the sweets she ate in the Sweets Car this time around. Or maybe it was and she was just hoping it wasn't.
Occasionally, some passengers speckled the street as well. At one point, Vic insisted they stop at another stall, and standing around was starting to make Mary feel restless. She turned around, hoping doing some denizen watching would kill the boredom. Her father always said that people watching could be fascinating and a good time killer. Mary noticed one middle aged woman with brown hair wearing a gray uniform talking to some slugs. Her sensitive ears made out the woman's strong British accent, and she silently wondered how a woman like her wound up on the train. Turning to her left, she saw a woman and a young child huddled close together. Both of them had deep umber skin, and the mother had her black hair tied in a myriad of cornrows. The boy looked to be about Mary's age, maybe a little bit older, and every strand of the boy's afro defied gravity.
Mary's jaw fell open, this time from surprise. Were they mother and son? She saw a glowing green number on the mother's hand, but it was too far away for her to make out. They didn't look familiar to her, but she did wonder how they got on the train. Could they be potential friends? Mary smiled at the idea. Her parents and teachers always said she needed to put in more effort to improve her social skills and make friends, and what better place to do it than on a magical train? At least here, Mary didn't have her mother pushing her to do so regardless of whether she was ready or not. Especially when she wasn't ready, which was the most common. Mary took in a breath, came up with a script in her head, and moved to approach the mother and son.
"Hi there!" Mary greeted them with a wave. "Did you guys wind up on the train, too?"
The boy swiveled around, his eyes wide at first, but after a minute of processing her entrance, his shoulders relaxed. "Sure did. You, too?"
"Yep! I'm Mary! What's your name?"
Before the boy could respond, his mother yanked on his arm, dragging him away from her. "No, Josh. Don't talk to strangers. We don't know where she's from."
Just like that, the two of them disappeared into the crowd. Mary's eyebrows furrowed. They didn't even want to talk to her, even though she was a passenger like them! As much as it hurt, she knew Josh's mother had a good point. To them, she was a stranger, an unknown body from an unfamiliar place, and his mother probably wanted to keep him safe. Or maybe, like her, she wanted to get away from the grime and slugs as fast as possible. Still, Mary's heart ached. She put herself out there and tried to make conversation with someone, but it fell on deaf ears. She gave a defeated sigh, hung her head down in desolation, and returned to the stall where Blanca and Vic were.
"...You're not going to find another pristine second edition book like this one! Besides, it's not like you really have any use for those!" Vic was in a heated negotiation with a mustard yellow slug with whiskers, standing on an old, hefty book with faded silver lettering. "Now what's it gonna be?" Vic asked, crossing his arms.
After a brief moment of rumination, the slug handed over two small vials and a tiny box. Vic flashed a smirk as he collected his merchandise and stuffed it in his backpack. "Pleasure doing business with you!"
"You take care now!" The slug waved as the trio left his stall.
The trio visited a few more stalls, and Vic found himself collecting more and more items, many of which Mary didn't recognize. When they left a fifth stall, Vic cackled to himself as he marveled at another item he managed to obtain, which was a silver smartphone with a slightly faded screen, along with a charger that came with it. "Aw man, Lady Luck is really shining down on me today! Now I can finally use that internet thing all the passengers I met talked about!"
Vic wanted to learn how to use the internet? She had no idea. "I can show you how to use it if you want," Mary suggested. Her father and sister had taught her how to use the computer, along with learning about websites, URLs, search engines, how to save files onto digital folders, and so on. In the process, they made sure the subjects of said websites were appropriate for a nine-year-old.
"Really?" Vic's ears stood up. "That'd be awesome! But that'll have to wait til later," He said, putting the smartphone in his backpack before hopping back on Blanca's head. "Don't want somebody to come and steal it right from under my nose."
Good point. Places like this had their fair share of skeevy people who'll rob someone at the first opportunity. She had to admit, it was smart of Vic to take that into consideration, even with his enthusiasm about being here. One couldn't be too careful. Even so, Mary didn't want to spend another minute here.
"Is there anything here you want, Mary?" Blanca asked when they started walking again. "We'd be more than happy to get it for you."
Mary shook her head. "No thanks. I don't see anything I really want, and my backpack's already full," She replied. If she tried to put more stuff in her backpack, Mary was sure it'd explode. It was hard enough just putting everything she brought with her from home, and Mimi couldn't fit in there no matter how hard she tried to put her in.
"We'll be at the exit soon," Blanca told her reassuringly. "I don't know how far this car goes, but I'm sure it's around here somewhere."
Mary hoped it was close by. The sooner she got out of this train car, the happier she'd be. Unfortunately, the exit was still a long way away from them. The trio continued to wade through the crowds of slugs, and Mary made sure not to touch any of them, even by accident, staying close to Blanca the entire time. She wondered if she could tell Blanca about not liking the slugs, or maybe suggest Mary hang out in some quiet place while she and Vic scoured the stalls. Oftentimes, when Mary was overwhelmed by noisy places, her father would ask her if she'd like to go to a quiet place to get away from it for a while, at least until her mother and sister were done with whatever they were doing. Mary always took the opportunity whenever possible, as continual loud noises gave her headaches. But more often than not, her mother would say no whenever Mary was alone with her.
"You can't spend your whole life running away from everything that's scary," Her mother said to her a few months ago. "You won't get anywhere in life if you're a coward. When you grow up, you're going to have to learn how to deal with the real world."
As scary as the real world could be at times, and Mary had to admit her mother did have a valid point, it was her mother's methods of preparing her for the real world that scared her more. Images came rushing back to her mind. Doctors putting their hands on her, pinning her down, their weight pressing down on her body. Orders, demands, and commands being shouted at her that made no sense, and kept getting changed around whenever they felt like it. The memory of her mother yelling at Mr. Bryant at the meeting recently. Her mother shooting down everything Mary said or wanted, even wanting to go to the bathroom in a store just to get away from the noise for a bit. Mary shook her head in an attempt to push those memories out, but they still lingered. Mary knew Blanca would likely let her find someplace to hide to get away from the noise, but she didn't want to get in the way of Vic's fun.
'Maybe this is one of those times where I need to suck it up and deal with it,' Resigned to this thought, Mary held onto Blanca's hand, falling silent as they traipsed through the crowds once more. However, just being here made her skin crawl.
Vic scoured another stall, acquiring more items, and the trio was about to move further down, but a large, grey slug with thick whiskers approached them.
"Howdy there, shoppers and traders!" The grey slug greeted them in a jolly, nasally voice. "I take it you three are having a good time?"
It took everything Mary had not to shake her head no. Vic, on the other hand, puffed out his chest and took the initiative. "Sure am! You've got some great deals going on here!"
The slug's protruding eyes closed as he smiled at them. "Well, I'm glad to hear it! If there's anything you need help with, don't hesitate to ask!" He opened his eyes and caught sight of Mary, who kept her face hidden behind Mimi. The slug's eyes lowered to meet Mary at her height. "Hmm? I don't think I've ever seen that stuffed animal before."
Stuffed animal? Mary shivered. Was this slug suddenly interested in Mimi? Why? She held onto Mimi tightly.
"Dare I ask if that stuffed animal is for sale?" The slug asked, his whiskers wiggling as he spoke. "I can offer—"
For sale?! Mary couldn't believe what she was hearing. This slug wanted to buy Mimi! Mary hid Mimi behind herself, shooting an angry glare at the slug. "No! She's not for sale!"
"Yes, what Mary says is true," Blanca added. "You see—"
Unfortunately, the slug cut her off mid-sentence. "Oh, come now! Surely you're open to negotiations!" The slug insisted, crawling closer. Mary's face contorted as she caught the scent of slime and dirt. Why wasn't this slug taking the hint and going away?
"Come on, Glider. Back off," Another slug crawled into the fray, a brown one with deeper colored whiskers. "Sorry about that. He always comes on too strong," The brown slug told them, leaning closer to Mary. "Don't worry, Miss. You don't have to—"
This was too much. Mary couldn't take it anymore. Every vein in her body screamed, and it felt like the entire car was closing in on her. Now this brown slug was invading her space, her vision. Even though her mind told her this brown slug was an ally, that he was only trying to be nice, her body acted on its own, and she let out a scream.
"GO AWAY YOU DISGUSTING SLUGS!"
Mary's scream made everything around her stop. Every slug denizen turned to face the odd trio. Even the brown and grey slugs in front of them could only stare, their eyes wide and jaws agape. The silence was so pervasive, one could hear a pin drop. When she realized what had come out of her mouth, Mary looked around, seeing eyes everywhere, all of them on her. The gravity of what she had done was pressing down on her, like how her mother pinned her down in the bookstore, and she didn't even know how to process all of this right then. Overcome with shame, Mary broke into tears and ran away. The desire to get out of this car finally took hold, but there was no sign of the exit anywhere. She didn't stop running even as she heard Vic and Blanca's voices telling her to come back.
Finally, after a few twists and turns, she found an empty alley with bright graffiti on the walls. As dirty as it looked, with open trash cans and a few empty boxes scattered about, Mary leaned against the wall and cried into Mimi's back, unable to hold it in anymore, mentally scolding herself for her outburst. Why did she yell at that slug? She knew the brown slug was trying to help, and she had wanted to say thanks, but instead of doing that, she called him disgusting, along with all the other slugs. She didn't know if there was a word for it, but she knew calling an entire species a bad name was wrong, and even with the knowledge, she still wound up doing it anyway, against her better judgment. It didn't matter if she hated slugs, this was their home, and slugs living here was normal. The realization made her cry even more.
She didn't know how long she cried, but eventually, her sobs died down. "Mary!" Both Blanca and Vic found her in the alley, with the former sprouting short legs to approach her. "Thank goodness we found you! We were so worried!"
Too ashamed to look at them, Mary hid her face in Mimi's fur. Blanca and Vic exchanged perplexed expressions. This was getting awkward.
"So…" Vic took the initiative and spoke first. "Do you want to tell us what's wrong?"
Mary said nothing.
"We promise we won't get mad," Blanca reassured, scooting next to her. "We want to know how we can help you. But we understand if you don't feel comfortable talking about it right now."
For a moment, things were silent. Mary squeezed Mimi closer. She did want to tell them why she was upset...and the fact they were willing to listen was enough for Mary to finally let it out.
"I...I hate this car," Mary croaked. "It's gross and dirty and noisy and smells bad and I hate slugs, too. I know that's a mean thing to say, since the slugs are part of the train and stuff, but...I just can't stand them! I never have!"
"I had a feeling that might have been the case," Blanca confessed, scratching her head with one hand. "I had wanted to ask you about it, but I didn't want to pry. I could tell you seemed really uncomfortable. But...can I ask why you didn't say anything before? I'd have been happy to take you to a quiet place, at least to get away from the noise if you asked."
There it was, the question that Mary didn't want to answer. Well, she did, but oftentimes, whenever she did so, the person who asked would never be satisfied with her answer even if it was true. Or she'd be so scared, her throat would close up and she'd be unable to say it out loud, or she didn't know how to put it into words. At least she knew how to answer this one.
"I wasn't sure if you'd let me," Mary confessed tearfully. "Mom usually doesn't let me hide when it's noisy, and...I didn't want to ruin Vic's fun or hurt his feelings. Just because I hate this place doesn't mean I should ruin it for everybody else."
Blanca gave a sympathetic smile. "Mary, don't ever feel like you're ruining our fun. It's okay to feel scared or uncomfortable if something bothers you," She told her. "And don't ever feel afraid to ask if you'd like to go to a quiet place to calm down or get away for a bit."
"Or even just stick by the exit," Vic chimed in. "That's an option as well."
Good point. Mary hadn't thought of that.
"It's not good to bottle up your negative feelings inside," Blanca continued on. "If you try to squash them down and pretend they're not there, they'll just build up and explode, like your outburst earlier."
Another good point.
Vic raised his paw. "She's right, y'know. It's even okay to say you're not a huge fan of slugs," He said. "But you're right in that it's wrong to generalize and judge an entire species just because you don't like them. It wasn't cool of you to call the slugs disgusting. That brown one was trying to help you, and you probably hurt his feelings by lumping him with all the other ones."
Mary hid her face in Mimi's fur again. As much as she hated to admit it, Vic was right. Her self-deprecating brain replayed the incident back in her head. Instead of simply calling the slugs disgusting and screaming, she could have simply told them to back off, or even say thanks to the brown slug and asked Blanca if they could move to a quiet place for a bit.
"I know…"
"And you have to consider the fact that this train car?" Vic extended his arms outward. "With it being all smelly and grimy and full of slugs? This is normal for them. Every train car has their own norms, and what we might think is disgusting and gross, the slugs see as perfectly fine, and we have to respect that. From their point of view, we're probably the weird ones encroaching on their turf. I mean, you don't exactly see a kid, a hamster, and a giant marshmallow walking through a magic train every day."
A chuckle escaped Mary's lips. He was right about that.
"We're not telling you this just to make you feel bad, Mary," Blanca chimed in. "We're trying to teach you healthy ways to cope with and navigate places that you may not be comfortable with, and to teach you right from wrong in situations like these. Nobody's perfect. We make mistakes and we occasionally do things we shouldn't, even when we don't mean to."
Vic scratched one of his ears sheepishly. "I won't lie, I'm guilty of being kind of blunt and judgmental myself. Owning up to your mistakes is important," He said. "Because if you don't, you won't grow as a person."
Grow as a person...was that what One-One meant when he mentioned that in the video? Mary thought growing as a person meant simply getting older. From what Vic was saying, it sounded like it was about making mistakes, learning from them, and doing the right thing the next time a bad situation came up. Granted, learning from your mistakes was important, and Mary knew that much. But she found herself smiling upon learning that the concept had another name behind it.
"I like that you guys are straight with me," Mary replied. "Thanks for trying to help me...and listening."
Blanca stroked Mary's hair with one hand. "That's what friends are for. Good friends have to be straight with you and point out when you do something wrong. But they can also teach you ways to handle situations that make you scared or uncomfortable," She explained.
The three of them decided to sit there for a while so Mary could calm down. Gradually, Mary could feel her body relax after rocking back and forth several times to push the anxiety out. Some of it still lingered, but she understood what she needed to do. She took in a breath and stood up.
"I'm gonna find the slugs and say sorry to them," Mary announced.
Her hand flashed green. Mary pulled her hand open and saw her number was changing. After a brief blur, her number stopped, and it was now 110.
Vic smiled. "See? Even your number gets it."
Both Mary and Blanca broke into laughter for a bit. Mary took a minute to muster up her courage and left the alleyway, walking back into the crowded street. It was less crowded than before, and the street was easier to navigate now that there weren't as many slugs around. But she did hope the slugs from before were still here. Thankfully, she found the two slugs standing in front of one stall, the grey one named Glider and the brown one.
"Mister slugs!" Mary called out as she approached them. The two slugs turned to face her, with expressions she couldn't read. Mary steeled herself, using the time to mentally prepare what she'd say in her head. Once she got it down, she bowed before them at a 90-degree angle. "I'm sorry for calling you both disgusting! I admit I don't like slugs, but I know that's...no excuse for the mean things I said, especially when…" She looked up at the brown slug, taking a minute to address him. "You were trying to help me. I should have said thanks. So...I'm sorry!"
Once again, the two slugs exchanged perplexed looks for a minute. Glider, the gray slug, turned around and smiled. "It's alright, kid. It's all water under the bridge. I'm sorry as well. I admit I have a tendency to not know when to back off," Glider said.
The brown slug narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Yeah, really."
Mary straightened herself out and gave a sigh of relief. It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She decided not to linger any longer, having said her piece. She waved goodbye to them before joining back up with Vic and Blanca.
"So...how'd I do?" Mary asked sheepishly, clutching the straps on her backpack.
Vic crawled up Mary's arm and settled onto her shoulder. "I think you did a bang-up job."
Warmth settled in Mary's chest. She did feel a lot better, and even though she was still put off by the car's griminess, she didn't feel as scared of the denizens this time around.
After a while, they managed to find the exit, as some strings holding up glass light fixtures led them right to it. Instead of leaving right away, Mary remained by the exit while Vic and Blanca visited one last stall. They told Mary to stay by the exit and not go anywhere, and the girl obliged. At least now that she was by the exit, she had an escape route in case something were to happen, and wasn't anywhere near the noisy crowds. For a few minutes, she waited patiently for her friends, flapping her hands and kicking the dirt. It wasn't long before Blanca and Vic returned.
"Hey Mary!" Vic called out. He was on top of Blanca's head. "I got somethin' for ya!"
"Really? What?" Mary looked down at Blanca, seeing that she was holding what looked to be...a spear. Or was it an umbrella? Mary couldn't quite tell, but it looked like a long spear with a sharp silver blade at the tip. She did notice some lines on the blade, and when holding it straight, it was just two feet taller than she was.
"One of the slugs called it an umbrella spear," Blanca said.
Mary took the giant spear into both arms. It was a lot lighter than she expected, and she could lift it up and down without trouble. Vic hopped off of Blanca's head and onto Mary's.
"It's really handy. You can use it to stab people or defend yourself if you're in a bad situation, like if someone's trying to rob you," Vic explained. "I figured you'd need a weapon if we ever end up in dangerous train cars. Oh! See that shaft on the bottom? Push on it from the bottom."
Vic pointed to the end of the spear. Mary saw a circular ring just a couple inches from the end of it. She pressed on it, and the blade expanded into a flat silver circle, almost like an umbrella.
"Whoa! Cool!" Mary exclaimed, in awe of the sight.
"It turns into a shield!" Vic added. "So you could say it's a spear and a shield in one!"
A spear and shield in one whole weapon...Mary couldn't believe Vic was being so nice to her. He went out of his way to get her a weapon, knowing she'd need to defend herself should the situation arise. She folded the shield back into a blade and hugged the spear. This was far more than she felt she deserved, but she loved it all the same, even if she wasn't a huge fan of weapons.
"Thank you. Vic, Blanca…" Mary murmured, unsure of what else to say.
Vic scratched his nose. "Alright, I'm all shopped out. Let's blow this joint."
Mary couldn't agree with him more. At least the wasteland didn't smell bad or feel so grimy. The three of them left the Black Market Car at last, crossing the bridge leading to the next car.
"Oh, Vic! I still need to teach you how to use your smartphone!" Mary exclaimed. "If the next car's safe, maybe I can show you."
After a brief moment of rumination, Vic flashed a grin. "Sure. That'd be great. Thanks."
Mary couldn't wait.
It had only been a day since Edith stopped by, but Todd still couldn't get what she told him out of his mind. Not even cleaning the house top to bottom and joining search parties to search for Mary while Reagan was at school helped to push the awful revelation out of his mind. Every day, he came home exhausted and gasping for breath, but he told himself this was nothing. Nothing compared to what Mary might be going through. He reminded himself he needed to be strong. For Reagan, for Mary, and for himself. Still, anger was simmering deep within him. He wished Dana would come home already so he could talk to her about what happened two years ago. She left to run a quick errand, and she said she wouldn't be back for another hour or so, but time seemed to move at a glacial pace.
Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, the door opened, and Dana set a plastic bag down on the dining room table. Her side plait dangled from her head as she pulled out some items and put them in the cupboard next to the sink. Todd steeled himself, breathing in and out. Now was the time. He stood up even though his heart pounded in his chest. This issue needed to be addressed, and it needed to be addressed now.
"Dana?" Todd walked into the kitchen, watching as she rummaged through a tiny wooden basket. "Can I talk to you about something?"
"I'm not staying," Dana replied tersely. "I just came back to get my perks card. I'm heading to the support group and then going food shopping."
She was heading out again? Todd couldn't let her slip away. "Dana, this is important," Todd sputtered, his voice bordering on nervous. "I need—"
"I'll be back in a couple hours," Dana wasted no time throwing something in her purse and walking right out of the house. Todd attempted to follow her, but the door slammed right in his face with a hard shuddering noise.
All he could say was "Well, that didn't work."
Frustrated, Todd sat down on the sofa, heaving a defeated sigh. He wondered if Dana secretly knew he wanted to talk to her about the trip and left just to avoid broaching the subject. As much as he hated to admit it, he wouldn't put it past her if she did. Or maybe she really did just want to stop and get her perks card before going shopping. Come to think of it...when was the last time the two of them just talked? Not just about sad things, but the happy things? The silly things? The fun moments they shared together? With the kids?
"Dad?" Reagan's voice pulled him back to reality. "Did Mom leave just now?"
"Oh. Y-Y-Yes…" Todd stammered, running a hand through his hair. "She just needed to pick something up before going food shopping."
Reagan's face fell as she sat down next to her father. The two of them sat in awkward silence, as if groping for something to talk about. Something that wasn't the obvious: Mary being missing. But the hollowness seemed to creep up on them, as though it would never let them go. Sunlight filled the living room, but it did nothing to alleviate the despair that held them hostage.
"...It's not the same without Mary," Reagan whispered.
"I know."
"What's for dinner tonight?"
Todd gave another sigh. "I'm not in the mood for cooking," He confessed. But an idea did hatch in his mind. "How about we get takeout from McDonald's later?"
Reagan finally managed to crack a smile, the first one she displayed all day. "Sure. I'm down with that," Reagan said. She stood up and went upstairs.
Without realizing it until she walked in, she found herself in Mary's room. She took in a sharp breath as she processed everything that was in here. The bright pink walls. The flowery comforter that was still folded and disturbed. Her bookcase. Her pajamas still hanging off her bed. One of the white pillows had fallen off her bed, and her stuffed animals sat on the floor, against the foot of the bed, like an audience waiting for a show to start. Impulse drove Reagan to smooth out the comforter, unfold it, and put the pillow back on the bed, making it look nice. Like it should be. She also put Mary's pajamas in the hamper in her closet and closed one of the drawers that was left open when she ran away. But this room was missing one big thing.
Mary.
Tears creeped back to Reagan's eyes, threatening to spill out. She tried to hold them back, but they broke through, slipping down her cheeks. This was Mary's room, but without Mary, it was just...empty. Reagan sat down on Mary's bed, crying into her hands. It wasn't the same without her younger sister. She missed her. She missed hearing her voice greeting her in the morning. Mary skipping around the house, play-acting, and getting lost in her imagination. Watching movies, anime, and cat videos with her. Playing games like tag and hide-and-seek out in the backyard. Playing video games. Helping her with her homework, even if Reagan couldn't help her with everything. The way she'd beg Reagan to play certain songs on the computer over and over. The way her blue eyes lit up whenever she saw something that delighted her. The way she always shared her giant cookies with her whenever they bought them at whatever cafe or food store they went to whenever they went out. Hearing Mary make up her own stories from scratch, reciting them down to the finest detail.
Without her, the house seemed to lose its warmth. Reagan cried until she couldn't cry anymore. Her mind drifted back to the note Mary left behind, and she still couldn't make sense of it. Reading it over so many times provided no answers, and how could it? It wasn't like she could reach out to Mary and ask her why she left.
Reach out…
Wait a minute…
Reagan stood up. A light bulb flashed in her mind brighter than any other. She scoured through Mary's drawers, finding nothing. She looked through Mary's bed and the pockets on her clothes. Nothing. Reagan remembered the things that went missing. Mary's backpack, some clothes, her stuffed bunny, her shoes, a few books...and something else was missing.
And if that was missing...did that mean Mary had it with her?
"Daaaad!" The realization hit Reagan like a train to the face, and she screamed before racing down the stairs, back into the living room.
Todd stood up in alarm. "Whoa! What's wrong, sweetie?"
"Dad! Do you remember that cell phone we got for Mary?!" Reagan yelled.
Cell phone? Todd stopped to ponder for a moment. Last year, he and Dana bought Mary a cell phone for her birthday. Todd insisted on it, that way Mary could contact her parents in case she ever got lost, or was far away and needed them for something, like at her grandparents' house. She could also use it to contact Caitlin and Leo without needing to use the house phone.
"Why do you ask?"
"Her phone's not here!" Reagan told him. "I checked everywhere around her room and it isn't there! If it's not in her room, there's a chance she might have it with her!"
The meaning of Reagan's words was not lost on Todd. The two of them stood there in stupefied silence. But a renewed hope sprang forth in their hearts as the two of them processed the realization.
If Mary had her cell phone with her...there was a chance they could contact her and find out where she is! The two of them mentally kicked themselves for not having realized this before!
Without another word, Todd raced to his bedroom, found his own smartphone on his dresser, and immediately began texting. Reagan proceeded to do the same.