Darcy Lewis - Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. or How I got a High Paying Government Job without even Trying
Chapter 4: Planning or How not to deal with Surprises
"Ok, don't panic, so I'm not in England anymore. No need to worry. I can figure this all out. Just need to think…and get clothes. Yes, get clothes and then think."
Suffice to say, finding that I had somehow made a transatlantic trip naked was a something of a shocking revelation to say the least. But, I was quick to decide that my lack of any form of clothing was of the far more immediate concern. Leaving the office, money from the lockbox in hand I made my way to the storage room. Another small pulse of magic (which I realised once again was getting easier and easier) and I was in. The room wasn't big but it was stacked with piles of boxes. Grabbing the closest one I checked the label before putting it to the side and trying again.
"Not going to caught dead in a dress, thank you very much. Now let's see, Men's Jeans, Men's shirts, Men's underwear…eww. Ah here we go Woman's underwear."
Ripping the box open, I began digging through it until I found a several pairs of panties in my size. Slipping a pair on I set the others to the side and start looking for the rest of the clothes I would need. In fairly short order I found a few shirts, a couple pairs of jeans, some socks, and a comfortable pair of shoes, which appeared to be knock-off converse. Finding a bra in my size however posed an entirely different challenge. The store it seemed did not cater to woman of the bustier variety, and there was nothing in stock that would contain my 34DD's. Thinking about it, I decided my best bet was for another attempt at wandless magic. This time I would attempt an enlargement charm.
Grabbing the largest bra they had in stock, I once again focused on the feeling of the magic deep within me, trying to pull it up and mould it to my requirements. After about fifteen minutes of concentration, I finally felt it flowing through me and watched as the bra in my hands magically expanded in the cup department. Putting it on, I found it still to be a bit on the tight side, but figured I would have to make do with it for the time being. Standing up from where I had been kneeled down, I pulled on the rest of the clothes I had selected, gathered up the extras, and prepared to leave. Approaching the door I looked back and saw the state of disarray I had left. Deciding I may as well keep practicing with my new found ability to perform wandless magic, I hastily repacked the boxes before concentrating on the tape and cardboard I had ripped apart to open them. Focusing I tried to imagine the feeling of a Reparo charm, and on the first box had some limited success. I continued on with the rest of the boxes, and by the time I was done had gotten to the point that it took barely any effort at all to perform the charm. Restacking the boxes I left the room, closed the door and made my way back to the alley I had awoken in. Closing the alley door I focused my magic once again to lock, which proved only slightly more difficult than unlocking it would be. I walk up the alley and out on to the street in front of me, glancing at the front of the store I had just stolen from.
"Lewis Boutique Clothes, huh, thanks for the help. Now to figure out where the hell I am."
I made my way down the street eyes narrowed and watchful, taking note of any person that I saw, studying their mannerisms, their expressions, and their dressing styles. Everything I would need to know in order to mimic them, in order to blend in. From an early age I had realised that I was treated differently from others. Where other children were looked at with love and care, I would be looked at with contempt and disdain. When I was little I didn't understand why I was treated differently, treated like I didn't belong. I thought it was something I had done, or was doing, so I thought to myself that if I acted like the kids that people like, than people will like me. So I started to observe them and copy what they did. Needless to say, my plan didn't work. No matter what I did, I was treated the same, like a freak. But the failure of my plan didn't stop me from studying people. I guess it had just become habit, but everywhere I went I observed people, I watched how they walked, listened to how they talked, and practiced mimicking it when I was alone.
Whether it was due to natural talent, or some quirk of my magic, I found that I could copy people's mannerisms perfectly, could match their voices, accents and speaking styles exactly. With these skills I was able to explore far more of my world, both magical and mundane, than I would have been able to otherwise, no matter where I went I was able to act like I belonged, and I quickly learned that acting like you belonged was far better than looking like you belonged. No one questioned why a young girl was in a rich neighbourhood, wearing clothes far too big for her as long as she could speak like a local. So as I wondered the streets of this strange American city I found myself in, I unconsciously adapted to the environment. I began to walk like the locals, hold myself like the locals, even matched expressions with them. All I needed to do now was learn to talk like them.
With that thought in mind I stopped the next person I saw and politely asked if they knew of any nearby restaurants that were still open. With that simple question, I got my first taste of the local accent, and the location of somewhere I could listen to other people talking and learn more.
Following the directions given by the man I had asked I soon found myself at a McDonald's restaurant. Quickly ordering a cheese burger, fries and a coke, I sat down near a group of what appeared to be teenagers and simply listened to them talk. For the next hour I simply sat and listened to the teens talk, memorising their pronunciation, their commonly used words, and their different slang and expressions. By the time they left I was reasonably confident that I had learned enough to pass for a local, so I headed out looking for somewhere to stay for the night.
Finding a cheap motel wasn't difficult, and slipping the receptionist an extra twenty dollars ensured that I wasn't asked for ID. So with that taken care of I settled in to try and figure out exactly where I was.
Turning on the TV I started to flip through the channels, until I found a local late night news program, which told me I was apparently in the city of Charleston, West Virginia. Knowing where I was gave some peace of mind. Now I just had to figure out a way home. Briefly I considered trying to apparate, but dismissed the thought knowing that it simply wasn't possible to apparate all the way across the Atlantic. My best bet was to find a library were I could use a computer to try and find Hermione's parents phone number. They were non magicals, and would know off a way to for me to get home the mundane way. Satisfied with my plan action, I decided to turn off the TV and get some sleep, however it was then, as I turned to reach for the remote, that I discovered a slight hiccup in my plan. A hiccup delivered in an annoyingly cheery voice from the newscaster.
"…that's all for tonight, the twelfth of June, 2007. To all our viewers have a good night."
"Did…did she just say twelfth of June 2007?! But, it can't be…it's only 2001…it's not like I could have just fallen asleep for six years is it?! No, that would be impossible, it must be a mistake, is has to be" My mind raced trying to think of some kind of rational explanation for how I could have possibly travelled six years forward in time, but nothing I thought of made sense. The only possibility was the news show had made a mistake. Grabbing the remote I once again starting looking for something that could prove what date it was. Stumbling across a music channel, I waited with bated breath for the subtitles at the bottom to tell me the song name, the artist, and above all the year of release.
"Ok, the song is "Girlfriend", by Avril Lavigne…never heard of her, and year of release is…2007…" I believe it was at that moment, that for the first time in my life, I fainted.