Chapter two
Joan found the old man at the door leading to Kensington High Street. He was picking at the wallpaper near the door.
"Are you alright?" asked Joan.
"Entropy, " he muttered. "It's gotten worse lately with all the paradoxes."
They stepped outside and were hit by the smell of chips frying from the McDonald's next door.
The old man pulled out a notebook, flipped through it, and said, "I have something for you from your mother. She wanted you to have it if you were ever in danger. "
"I don't have a mother, " said Joan stiffly.
"Yes, you do. She was an old companion of mine. There was a war. She entrusted you to me to keep you safe, keep you secret. I took you to the Sisters…"
"Who are you?" demanded Joan. "Don't tell me. You're my deadbeat father. "
"No," chuckled the old man. "And your father was no deadbeat. Don't you have any curiosity about your family?"
"Not even if I was stranded alone with them on a desert island. I've got a marathon to run Sunday. If you'll excuse me…"
"I'm sorry, Joan, " said the old man pulling a silver wand from his pocket. A red light lit up on its tip, it let out an electric whine, and the image of Kensington High Street swapped out for a strange scene.