iv. insanity
Reyna sends Luke upstairs then heads to the kitchen to make the coffee. She directs Gale to the living room, where he waits about ten minutes or so until she returns, steaming mugs in hand. Handing one mug over to him, she perches herself on the couch opposite of Gale and takes a sip.
Reyna peers up at Gale. "How far was the drive?"
"Not long," Gale lies (In truth, it'd taken about two hours). "I'm just sorry I couldn't have been quicker. You must have been worried sick."
"That's an understatement," Reyna says. She gives him a small, guilty smile. "Honestly, I spent the whole time ready to dial 911 in case you turned out to be a kidnapper or something."
Gale laughs. "I don't blame you. I'd probably do the same thing."
Her smile widens and she takes another sip of her drink. "You have kids, Gale?"
He shakes his head. "Maybe one day. I've never really thought about it."
"Hm." Seconds pass. Reyna takes another sip of coffee. "I suppose you're wondering about Luke's father."
He nearly chokes on his drink. Reyna's lips twitch, but she otherwise doesn't lose her composure. He struggles to regain his.
"It's none of my business…" He starts to say. She raises an eyebrow. "…but I'm assuming he's not part of your lives?"
She chortles. "You could say that." She places her cup on the coffee table and, slowly, says, "Luke and Leia weren't exactly-planned. He told me it was him or them…I chose them."
Shit. "That sounds rough."
Reyna lets out a tiny scoff. "We're better off," she says.
"Luke seems to feel differently."
He regrets it as soon as he says it. Reyna's face, previously warm and welcoming, shuts down.
"Luke is a child," she says stiffly. "And like you said, it's none of your business."
Discomfort churns in Gale's stomach. "I'm sorry," he says. "I just-I know what it's like not to have a father. It can be hard on a kid."
Her expression softens slightly. "I appreciate the concern Gale, but if I thought having the twins' father in their lives was what was best for them, he would be."
"I'm sorry," he says again, internally cursing at himself. "You're right. They're your kids. But considering the whole curse thing, I thought-"
"What curse thing?" Reyna asks.
Gale blinks. "You know, his whole thing where he thinks everyone in town is a character from a movie."
"What?" She says incredulously.
…Oops.
Meanwhile, upstairs in their room, Leia Terran watches as her brother texts someone from his phone.
"Who you talking to?" She asks.
"No one," Luke says dismissively, not bothering to look up.
Annoyed, Leia hops off of her bed. She strides over to Luke and swipes his phone.
"Hey!" He protests, but she ignores him. She reads his conversation and scoffs.
"You're talking to Cass?" She says in disbelief. "You know Mom said we weren't supposed to talk to her anymore."
Luke scowls. He marches over and takes back his phone. "I'm not. I'm texting her."
Leia rolls her eyes. "How'd you even get her number?"
"Stole it from Mom's phone."
Leia balks. "You what?"
"I didn't have a choice." Luke defends himself. "If we're going to break the curse, me and Cass need to be able to stay in touch."
Leia groans, throwing back her head. "You're still on that? Luke, there's no such thingas curses."
"Oh, because yourexperiment theory makes perfect sense."
"It does compared to YOUR theory about everyone in town not being real."
Luke sighs. "Obviously, we're real," he says exasperatedly. "Cassandra says-"
"Cassandra's insane," Leia says. "And so are you if you believe her."
"She is not," Luke says. "And neither am I. You'll see. Dad's here now. He'll break the curse and prove I was right, and you were wrong."
Leia shakes her head. "Whatever, Luke."
Her brother watches her nervously. "You won't tell Mom, right? That I'm still friends with Cass?"
She crosses her arms. "Depends. Mom would get super mad if she found out you were talking to Cass behind her back. And even more mad if she found out I knew."
"I won't tell her you knew," Luke promises. "And I'll give you half my Halloween candy."
Leia's eyebrows shoot up. "Deal."
Shaking hands, the twins turn back to their respective businesses. Leia picks up her pencil and resumes doing her homework, while Luke sends a few more texts to Cassandra before saying goodbye.
Minutes have passed when they start to hear loud, repeating clanging sounds. The sound of their mom shouting quickly follows, causing Luke and Leia to share startled glances before rushing downstairs to find their mom and Gale missing and the front door open. The two head outside, and their jaws drop in unison.
Gale's car, previously in pristine condition, is now in ruins. The wheels are punctured. The window frame, side mirrors, and taillights are shattered. Huge dents bedeck both the trunk and the hood.
Gale stands frozen near his car. Luke can't see his face, only his back, but he thinks he can guess what his expression looks like.
Then he starts cursing, loudly, and Luke definitely knows.
Luke's mother jets over to him. "Calm down, Gale," she says.
"Calm down?!" He sputters. His cheeks redden furiously. "My car's been wrecked!"
"I know," she says firmly. "Which is why you need to calm down and start making calls. Whoever did this can't have gotten far."
Gale regards her for a few seconds. He lets out a deep breath. "Right-you're right."
She nods.
He calls 911. The police arrive swiftly, with someone from the local car repair service following not too long after. The neighborhood quickly becomes abuzz with activity as a handful of neighbors come outside to investigate while the police go about doing their work. The repairwoman tells Gale repairs will take at least a couple of days, and a redheaded police officer tells him whoever damaged his car also stole his wallet.
Upon hearing this set of bad news, Gale curses (Reyna is quick to cover her children's ears this time, glaring at him all the while). With no money or car, he is left stranded in New Unity.
"You have anywhere to stay tonight?" The redhead asks.
Gale scowls. "No, officer."
"Hm. Well, you can stay with me 'til your car's fixed. I have a spare room, it's no trouble."
"Seriously?" Gale asks, relieved. "I'd really appreciate that."
"Like I said, it's no trouble." The officer holds out his hand. "Name's Ben Gordon."
Gale takes his hand and gives it a firm shake. "Gale Bryce. Nice to meet you."