#iob

Saffron snuggled her head into her pillow. If only she could stay like this forever, or even for just one day. In the background, she could hear the familiar sounds of screeching tires and the city hustle-bustle. She cracked one eye open to look at the window. The sky was getting darker, but she could still see the light of the sun. It should be set in a few hours.

Wait…what?!

She jolted up from her bed and immediately leaned over to her bedside table for her phone, only to discover its absence.

“Oh, no. Where is it, where is it?”

After groggily groping around the bed and floor for an embarrassing amount of time, she found it under her bed (she didn’t even want to think about how it got there) and checked the time.

5:54. 5:54? Already?!

A wave of guilt washed Saffron over from head to toe. There was no point in showing up to the lecture now. She had missed her emotional control class. She always did her best to make that class because she felt bad for Professor Harley; no one showed up to his class on Mondays because most of them had a conflicting class specific to their aptitude—the rest usually didn’t show up. Aura manipulation is a pretty rare aptitude, so there wasn’t a teacher to instruct her. Her parents managed to find a private tutor a couple of years back who had an aptitude that enhanced his knowledge, so he was able to help her. She sees him about once or twice a week now, as opposed to every day like she did while growing up.

This day was like a roller coaster, but at least Saffron could see that the end was soon.

Saffron clambered back onto her bed and opened the news app. She didn’t want to go to the library and work on the project, but at least she could do this to pass the time. She clicked the ‘Hero Society’ tab, and after scrolling through a few headlines, she was starting to wish that she hadn’t.

Sensation Defeats an Amateur Villain at the Rosia Central City Bank! 

Ace of Spades Releases his Custom Deck of Cards!

Water Jelly Surprises a Third-Grade Class on a Field Trip!

Saffron Solis Nearly DESTROYS a Mango Nectar Billboard! 

Ginger Solis Spotted With Flowers! Has she Finally Rebounded from her Break-up?

Saffron checked the last two authors, and she wasn’t surprised by the names. Amelia Roberts of the Morning Star Chronicles and Larry McCarten of the Rosia Daily Express. Two rival reporters from two of the most successful news companies in all of Blirrosia.

Ms. Roberts was known for her extreme curiosity, but the way she satisfied it was pretty nosy. She seemed to have it out for Saffron, and everyone involved knew why. 

When Saffron was in middle school, she caught Amelia staking out in a car outside the school like a weirdo, probably to get some pictures, judging by the size of her camera. Don’t ask her why, but Saffron decided it would be a good idea to listen to Lai when she said to mimic the auras of a handful of her classmates and creepily surround Ms. Roberts’ car. She had been looking down at something on her phone, but Saffron knew the moment she saw the auras from her scream. After that, the prank went horribly. Ms. Roberts had jumped up and hit her head on the roof of her car before passing out. At first, Saffron was worried that it was from the impact, but she later found out it was from the shock. Saffron’s parents had to reimburse her and were surprisingly able to convince her not to sue; Saffron had been suspended for a week for using her powers without permission. 

After the altercation, Saffron’s name was perpetually on the news. First, it was about the incident. But after Ms. Roberts returned to her job, she would watch like a hawk for any time Saffron screwed up, then blow it out of proportion. Saffron had no clue how she still had her job, but by now, she’s learned to deal with it.

Larry McCarten on the other hand? He was a real piece of work. Despite the denials, he was a prominent member of the Anti-Hero Movement. Saffron thought that it couldn’t get much worse than Amelia Roberts, but for the past two or three years, Mr. McCarten proved her wrong. If Ms. Roberts was nosy, Larry McCarten was downright invasive. He was close to crossing the line to stalker behavior. He was constantly writing about scandals—most of them untrue. But Saffron hated him for personal reasons.

She was about to skim through the article written about her when she received a call. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw her best friend's caller ID pop up on her screen.

“Hey! How was your class?”

“I didn’t go.”

“Wha–? But you never miss class. We need to attend as many as we can so we can be the best! What happened?”

She let out a shaky breath. “Lai, you won’t even believe what happened today.”

Saffron doesn’t know why, but she never told Lai about the elevator. 

They had to have been on the phone for at least an hour, maybe two; there were so many opportunities to say something, anything! But she chose to keep quiet.

The sun was barely peeking above the horizon at this point—hues of orange, pink, and purple perfused with the darkening blue sky. After Saffron ended the call, she decided to walk to Lizzie’s Twilight Diner, the best place to indulge in spicy, crispy chicken, fried calamari, and a strawberry milkshake. Just thinking about it made her mouth water.

As she was walking to the diner, Saffron had the familiar feeling of being watched. Her pale pink skin and gray birthmarks suddenly stuck out like a sore thumb. Seven, thin, gray rings appeared on her neck when she was thirteen years old—the press had gone crazy for a week or two, claiming that she had entered her rebellious stage. The point was, Saffron wasn’t exactly difficult to recognize. She was used to this; she had to be. This was her life–full of lingering looks and stares. She should be used to it by now.

So why…why was it so unnerving all of a sudden? This isn’t like her at all; this isn’t right. She was never this off guard. First the elevator incident, then more flowers, and now this? Today was a day full of disappointments, that’s for sure. 

Before she knew it, she was in front of the diner. The white walls were grayed from age, but the red, orange, and yellow accents on the awnings and door made it appealing. The fluorescent sign with the name of the store flickered and a few letters didn’t light up at all, but it wasn’t creepy. The exterior was very inviting.

As Saffron pushed the door open, a bright bell signaled her arrival.

“Welcome!” A middle-aged woman called out as she was wiping a counter. She was wearing a floral shirt and a red apron. 

“Good evening, Mrs. Lizzie,” Saffron responded, “how’s business?”

The woman looked up at her voice, eyes glowing. “Why, if it isn’t my pinkest customer! Everything’s dandy, just dandy! How’re you doing, love bud?”

Saffron couldn’t help but curve her lips at the familiarity. Everything had been so…different.

“I’m doing great, Mrs. Lizzie!”

“Don’t just stand there,” she scuttled behind Saffron and began to push her towards the front counter, “Have you eaten yet? Sit! Sit! Order something!”

Saffron smiled as she swung her feet on the swiveling barstool, teeming with excitement and nostalgia. She couldn’t remember the last time she indulged in fast food, but during middle and high school, she loved to secretly try different places—it was by luck that she stumbled upon this place, but oh it was so worth it. She tried not to eat so much (after all, a full stomach could slow her down while she was flying) but she couldn’t resist this diner.

“Are you eating well? Every time I see you, you look thinner. Here,” she slid over a menu. 

Saffron gazed over the old letters behind the lamination. She licked her lips as she wondered what to ask for. 

She was going to order the fried chicken for sure and the calamari was always a must; however, she was still debating on if she should get red velvet cheesecake or a strawberry milkshake. But eventually, she decided on the cheesecake because she had never had that flavor before, so she told Mrs. Lizzie her order.

“Coming right up, dear! But here,” she said as she placed a platter of ribs covered a dark red sauce, “Try these for me,” she asked.

Saffron’s mouth watered as she stared at the plate—they looked delicious, but she knew that adding this to her meal was crossing the line. Saffron would feel way too guilty eating all of this.

“Sorry, Mrs. Lizzie, but I don’t think I can finish all of this. Maybe just one or two…”

“Nonsense!” she replied. “You have one of the biggest appetites that I’ve ever seen! And when was the last time you ate something that wasn’t a salad or ice cubes?” she asked. After waiting a moment, she continued. “I can tell by your face that your answer won’t satisfy me. Eat!” As she walked back to the kitchen, Saffron could hear her mutter about how much these new generations loved to starve themselves as she stared at the plate of ribs in front of her.

She needed to build good habits for when she became a hero: after all, one bite of food could weigh her down when she was flying or running—that could cost a life. But on the other had, she was only a student, so maybe a break wouldn’t be such a bad thing, especially if she was benefiting Mrs. Lizzie. After every thing she did for Saffron, it was the least she could do in return.

This was officially one of the worst days of her entire life.

The food looked so good, but after taking a few bites of one of the ribs, she was starting to feel very nauseous. And now that all her food was staring back at her, she couldn’t help but notice how unhealthily greasy it looked. Just smelling the hot oil wafting off the chicken and calamari made her head hurt. The cheesecake looked so good in the picture, but the only thing she could eat were the berries; she tried the frosting and almost puked right then and there. 

“Mrs. Lizzie, it’s getting kind of late and I have to get back to the dorms. Could you help me pack these things to go?”

“Why, of course, dear!” she responded, getting to-go boxes from a rack. “Be safe—I don’t care if you’re aptitude is Level 89 or whatever. And don’t forget to come back soon!” 

As she stepped back onto the street, the pungent odor of oil, ulfur and carbon overwhelmed her all at once. A scarlet haze tightly enveloped her head as she was forced to rely on muscle memory to take her to the dorm. 

She didn’t remember tripping on the way back.

She didn’t remember dropping the food somewhere along the way.

She didn’t remember entering her building.

She definitely remember how she couldn’t focus on anything other than how the stairwell smelled like bitter alcohol and smoke. Saffron couldn’t handle it, so she turned back to the courtyard and fell on the grass.

It wasn’t perfect, but the earthy smell cleared the haze and her mind.