Chapter 2: When coffee freezes over

Kris meets another person with powers and tries to get her in contact with Paul. Q explores their power.

Q woke up to the sound of movement in the hallway. She sat up immediately, her breathing picking up. She threw the blanket off her legs and stood, hurrying to the door. Q opened it and peeked out, spotting Kris moving about the apartment. “Kris?” Q said hesitantly.

            Kris turned around at the end of the dark hallway. “Yeah?” She whispered.

            “What are you doing?”

            Kris quirked an eyebrow, a half smile on her face. “It’s six in the morning,” Kris answered. “I have to get ready for work.”

            “Oh,” Q responded.

            Q didn’t feel like going back to sleep. So, she wandered to the dining room table and sat down, watching Kris move about. Kris disappeared down the hall, coming back with a pair of dark jeans on and buttoning up a plaid collared shirt. She walked into the kitchen, quietly asking, “Do you want something for breakfast?”

            Kris pulled out a box of cereal and a carton of milk. “I’ll get something when you’re done,” Q said.

            Kris poured both foods into a bowl and grabbed a spoon before moving to the dining room and sitting down. Kris began eating while Q tapped her fingers on the table. “Remind me to leave you some money in case you want to go out for lunch,” Kris muttered, stirring the content of her bowl.

            Q nodded and said a faint “sure.” They sat in silence as Kris finished eating. When she got up to put the dish away, she asked Q, “What do you plan on doing all day?”

            Q shrugged and halfheartedly answered. “Practice using my power, I guess.”

            Kris nodded like it made sense. Q leaned on the table. “What are you going to do all day?”

            “Work,” Kris responded. “I work at Callithump Coffee down on Stark Street.”

            “I love Callithump.”

            Kris picked her wristwatch up from the counter and putting it on. She came back to the table, leaning on it close to where Q was sitting. “Yeah? Do you remember that?”

            Q quirked her head, trying hard to recall. “Maybe,” She said, glancing up. “I think I like their short latte… Don’t they have bison, or something, on their to-go cups?”

            Kris’s eyes widened. “Yeah, they do,” Kris replied. “That’s an oddly specific thing to recall.”

            Q’s brow furrowed slightly as she frowned. “Maybe, I had one of their coffees before I lost my memory.”

            Kris fluffed her hair. “Huh,” Kris huffed. “We could look into that.”

            Kris looked down at Q. “If only we knew what you originally looked like,” Kris continued.

            “I’ll work on it,” Q said weakly.

            Kris checked her watch, making a clicking sound with her tongue. “I should get going,” Kris commented hurriedly.

            Kris walked over to the kitchen. She opened a drawer close to her small off-white fridge. Digging in it, she pulled out a key and a twenty-dollar bill. Kris set both on the counter where Q could see them. “This is money and a key to lock up the place if you decide to go out,” Kris said quickly. “The television works, the cable doesn’t. Movies are in the cupboard. If Paul visits, it is up to you whether to let him in.”

            Kris grabbed her bag and headed for the door. She stopped and turned around. “One last thing, try not to destroy anything,” Kris added.

            Then she was gone.

+++++

            Callithump Coffee was never busy in the early morning. That usually left Kris and one of her coworkers as the only people there until the morning rush. The place was small; it had a couple of tables and a working space the size of a mixing bar. Kris was alternating between tapping her fingers and toes when a woman walked in and approached the counter. “Hello, welcome to Callithump,” Kris droned with a placid smile. “What can I get for you today?”

            A young, black woman was on the other side of the counter. Her smile was genuine with a slight gap between her two front teeth. It wrinkled her eyes as she leaned forward to say, “A double shot of espresso, please.”

            Kris rung it up, while the woman opened her grey clutch. Kris took a moment to look over the woman, deciding that she must be an intern at a law firm or something because her dark blue blouse screamed businesswoman. The woman’s smile twitched farther up one side, as Kris blushed, realizing she has been staring for too long. Kris coughed lightly once before saying, “That will be two fifty.”

            The woman handed her the exact amount. Kris put it in the cash register and gave the woman her receipt. “Please wait a moment,” Kris said, moving over to the espresso machine.

            It took her less than a minute to prepare the woman’s drink and hand it to her. The woman held it tentatively before asking, “Actually, could I get this iced?”

            “Sure,” Kris replied, taking it back.

            Before dropping it. It landed on the counter with a dull thud. The lid popped off, revealing what Kris had already felt. The espresso inside was frozen solid. The woman seemed miffed, commenting, “That is the third time that has happened.”

            “Really?” Kris said, picking up the cup and throwing it in the trash.

            Kris grabbed another cup and took a pen off the counter. Discreetly writing on the cup, she feigned attention as the woman responded, “Yeah, a candy bar happened to melt when I talked about that very thing, I ordered this blouse, which was grey until I mentioned that I ordered a blue one, and now that espresso froze over when I asked for ice.”

            Kris made her drink again, taking time to add ice to the cup. Handing the cup to the woman, Kris joked, “Maybe you should be more careful about what you say.”

            The woman smiled in passing and turned to go. “Wait,” Kris said, holding up a hand.

            The woman faced Kris, slightly confused. “I think we should talk about this, later,” Kris continued. “The power you have, that is. Uh, I… know I guy who would be interested in discussing it. Cause… we can do weird things, too.”

            “Is that so?” The woman said, her smirk returning. She shrugged, “Sure, I would love to discuss this later. What’s your phone number?”

            Kris pointed at the cup, where it was already written down. The woman’s smile grew. “Alright, I’ll call you later then, when I get off work.”

            Kris smiled her cheeks faintly red, nervously running a hand through her hair. “Okay.”

            “Good bye coffee girl,” The woman said, turning.

            As the woman walked away, Kris called out, “Kris!”

            The woman kept walking, but repeated, “Kris.”

            When the woman was out of sight, Kris sighed in relief, leaning on the counter with a hand under her chin. Kris realized she didn’t ask for the woman’s name. She groaned and smacked her forehead lightly on the counter, resting it there. A man with gauges came out of the storage room behind the counter. “What’s the deal, Kris?” He asked.

            Kris shook her head, deciding not to answer.

            The guy laughed, moving to stand by steamer. “You blew it flirting again?”

            Kris punching his shoulder gave him his answer. He laughed again, rubbing his shoulder.

+++++

            Q paced between the dining area and living room in Kris’s apartment. She had decided that she couldn’t leave the apartment until she changed her appearance; she reasoned that any shop close to the apartment would be suspicious if Kris showed up when she should be at work.

            She focused on transforming. She pictured Paul. She soon gave up, remembering little about his looks, even though she became him for a short period. Maybe, she could change one characteristic at a time. She walked to the bathroom. Staring into the mirror above the sink, Q concentrated on her eyes, imagining that they were blue. She closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them, they would have changed.

            She opened them to see the same green gold. Q scowled at herself in the mirror before laughing at how cute Kris looked with that expression. Q reflected on how she transformed into Kris; they were looking at each other and touching. That could be the trigger to transform. Q hurried back into the living room, searching for a picture. Kris didn’t have any, except a theatrical poster. Q looked up at it, hanging on the wall.

            It had an image of a starlet, with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a black silky gown. The woman had her hair in a regal bun on top of her head, holding an empty cigarette holder to her bright red lips. The poster read “Dinner at Macy’s.” Q placed a hand on the poster, specifically covering up the character and muttered, “I hope this works.”

            She stared at the character’s face, waiting for something to happen. “Do I need to talk to you?” Q asked the character. “What’s your name…?” Q scanned the poster. “Hazel? That’s a nice name. I hope you don’t mind if I call myself that while I look like you. If I do happen to look like you.”

            She didn’t feel anything change like it had before. She glanced down at herself, watching the t-shirt and shorts change into a full-length black dress. Q jerked back from the poster and ran to the bathroom. She saw Hazel in the mirror. She jumped up and laughed. “It worked!”

            Q reached up and pulled out the bun, shaking out her hair. She grabbed Kris’s brush to fix it; a minute’s work left her with beautifully cascading golden hair. “Great, now to get out of this dress,” Q muttered to herself, leaving the bathroom.

            She hesitantly walked into Kris’s room, peeking around to make sure that wasn’t anything she shouldn’t see. Kris’s room was a mess, clothes everywhere with a queen size bed dominating the room. Stepping cautiously around clothing piles, Q went to Kris’s dresser on the far side of the room beside a curtained window. She opened the second drawer, which was full of shirts. Q took out a light grey V-neck that had some ambiguous art on it. Opening the next drawer, she found pants. Grabbing a pair of blue jeans, she closed the drawer with her hip.

            She slipped off the gown and put on the shirt and jeans. Q walked back to the mirror to check herself. She still looked like the starlet from the poster. She needed to add something to her image. Walking back in Kris’s room, she spotted a pair of glasses on the nightstand. Q tiptoed over to them, noticing that they were hipster-esque glasses.

            Q put them on, believing that they completed her outfit. Fortunately, the glasses didn’t distort her eyesight so much. She contemplated taking out the lens but decided against it because they weren’t hers. Q skipped back to the dining room. Going to the counter, Q pocketed the money and kept the key in hand. She left apartment, not caring that she was wearing vintage heels. Hazel turned and locked the apartment door before proceeding to the elevator at the end of the hall.

+++++

            Kris shouldered her bag and made her way to the door of Callithump. The afternoon shift had come in, and Kris was eager to go. Kris left Callithump, taking a right and heading to Tauri Boulevard a few blocks away. It always felt like forever, walking past the same locally-owned clothing stores. She walked through the lobby, nodding hello to the manager. She went to the elevator and pressed the third button. The metal doors closed, and the elevator began to move.

            Kris got out on the third floor and made her way down the long hallway to her apartment. She tried the doorknob, to find it locked. She dug in her bag for a key, then unlocked the door. Stepping in, Kris called out, “Q? Are you here?”

            “Yeah,” A low feminine voice called back.

            Kris didn’t recognize the voice but kicked off her shoes and went to the living room anyway, feeling confident that it was Q and not a home invader. Kris stopped when she saw the blonde starlet sitting on her couch. “Skylar Rask?” Kris said, recognizing the person.

            The woman turned to face her. “Is that my name?” She smiled. “I’ve been calling myself Hazel like an absolute idiot then.”

            “Q?” Kris responded with a disbelieving chuckle. “That’s you? How did you manage to become Skylar?”

            Q moved a well-manicured hand to point at the poster on the wall. “I saw her on your poster and when I touched it, I became her.”

            Kris laughed, moving to sit on the couch by her. “That poster is a parody of a popular movie,” Kris commented. “Skylar made a music video, inspired by that movie.”

            “Huh,” Q said, thinking it over.

            Kris stared at her. Q shifted uncomfortably. “What?”

            “Nothing,” Kris responded, looking away with a red face. “It’s just, I never thought I would see Skylar Rask in person. You look so beautiful,” Kris laughed, “Right down to your nerdy glasses.”

            Q smiled awkwardly. “Your glasses,” She answered. “And I thought I looked beautiful as you.”

            Kris snorted, her face still red, and said, “Let’s stop bromancing.”

            Q rolled onto her side on the couch with a tucked arm over the couch’s back. “So, how was your day?” She asked lightly.

            “It was good.” Kris settled further into the couch, crossing her arms. “I met another person with powers.”

            Q gestured, egging Kris on. “And?”

             “And I gave her my number, telling her that my friends and I would be interested in discussing her powers,” Kris continued.

            “What are her powers?”

            Kris opened her mouth, then closed it. Contemplating it, she eventually said, “It’s kind of ambiguous. She was talking, and things were doing what she asked, like inanimate objects. I was serving her some hot coffee, when she asked for it to be iced; when I took the cup, it was frozen solid.”

            “Cool.”

            Kris rolled her eyes at the pun and smiled. “Yeah, it is, but I need to get in touch with Paul before she calls, so he can be here for it.”

            “You don’t have his number?”

            “No,” Kris grumbled. “To be honest, I’ve only met him twice.”

            “Maybe we should look for him where you first met him.” Q suggested.

            “I met him at my cousin’s restaurant,” Kris said. “It looked like the first time he’d been there.”

            “Yeah, but he might visit there because that’s where he thinks he can find you.”

            “But he knows where I live,” Kris countered.

            “Where are you usually around this time?”

            “The restaurant,” Kris answered. “I go there for a late lunch and spend time with my cousin.”

            “Then let’s go there,” Q said, getting up.

            Kris stood up, putting on her shoes, and asked, “Why?”

            “Because I’m hungry, I want to meet your cousin, and I think Paul will go there,” Q replied. “Especially if we aren’t here.”

            “That is a weak theory,” Kris retorted, picking up her bag.

            “I don’t care, I’m hungry.”

            “I left you money to go out and eat.”

            “The odd thing was,” Q said as they walked to the door. “When I went out, everybody crowded around me.”

            “Hmm, I wonder why,” Kris said sarcastically. “It’s not like you look like the internationally renowned musical artist.”

            “Fine, we’ll go,” Kris continued, opening the front door. “Besides, I’m hungry too.”

+++++

            The restaurant was busy with most of the seats filled. Molly and a couple other waitresses flitted in between the tables, setting down food, picking up empty plates, and generally catering to their customers. Molly took a minute to herself to approach Kris and Q at the door. Molly froze up when she recognized the person next to Kris. “Skylar Rask,” She said in shock, pointing at Q.

            Kris stepped in front of Q, placing a defensive hand between Molly and Q. “No, this isn’t Skylar,” Kris responded. “This is Hazel. Hazel, this is Molly.”

            “Hello, Molly,” Hazel said, bending sideways to be seen behind Kris and waving politely.

            Molly looked remorseful as she waved back. “Hello, sorry for callin’ you Skylar.”

            “No, it’s fine,” Hazel replied. “We do look quite alike.”

            “No kidding,” Molly mumbled before asking, “Would you like a table for two?”

            “Yes please,” Kris said, glancing around the room. “Have you seen Paul today?”

            Molly led them to one of the only tables left in the room; it sat four, while being shoved in the corner by the expansive front window. “No,” Molly answered. “But, he did promise yesterday that he would come back. So, he could show up at any time.”

            Kris and Hazel sat down at the table, while Molly placed menus on the table before them. Kris set her bag on one of the spare seats. “Thank you, Molly,” Kris said. “If you get a break, come sit with us.”

            “Sure, coz,” Molly said, smiling.

            As Molly left, Hazel picked up the menu, looking it over. Kris watched the window, waiting for their server to come and keeping an eye out for Paul. The television was on in the background, blaring the latest news. Add that sound to a dozen patrons talking. It was hard to hear Hazel when she started talking. “Is it always this busy?”

            Kris shook her head. “No,” Kris answered. “In fact, yesterday, Paul seemed to be the only customer while I was here.”

            Hazel’s attention was captured by something outside. “Speaking of Paul, I see him walking down the street, holding hands with a little girl.”

            Kris looked where Hazel was discreetly pointing. It was Paul, indeed holding hands with a little Latina girl in a dress. “She looks a lot like him,” Hazel commented.

            “She must be the sister he was talking about,” Kris said.

            Paul and his sister walked by the window and entered the restaurant. Paul spotted the women right away. He waved at them before bending over to talk to his sister. They both came over to the table. Kris moved her bag, and Hazel moved closer to Kris, so the siblings could sit beside each other. “Hello girls,” Paul said, sitting down.

            “Hey, Paul,” Hazel responded cheerfully before looking at the girl. “Who’s this little cutie?”

            The little girl smiled, revealing gaps where she lost some teeth. “I’m Esperanza Maria De la Rosa. Who are you?”

            “I’m Hazel,” Hazel said, gesturing to herself. “And this is Kris.”

            Kris raised her hand in hello. Espe suddenly leaned forward with a conspiratorial expression on her face as she asked, “So, tu chicas are Paul’s amigas that he met with ayer?”

            “Hey,” Paul intervened. “Are you checking my story out with my friends?”

            “Yes,” Espe admitted, giving him a mean look.

            “Well, it is true,” Hazel answered blatantly. “Paul walked me to Kris’s home last night, if that’s what you’re asking about.” 

            A waiter finally came over to the group, asking if they were ready to order. “The usual, Pam,” Kris said politely.

            “I’ll have the hamburger with some water,” Paul said, glancing at Espe who nodded. “So, will la niña.” 

            Pam bobbed her head slowly, writing it down. “I would like your Caesar salad sandwich, please,” Hazel said.

            Pam did a double take. “Are you…?” She started.

            “Oh no,” Hazel answered, shaking her head. “I’m not.”

            Pam’s eyes narrowed with suspicion, but she walked away anyway, putting in their order. Espe stared at Hazel long and hard, eventually recognizing who she was. “You’re Skylar Rask!” Espe shouted, surprisingly not drawing any attention from the crowded room.

            “No, I’m not.”

            “Yes, you are,” Espe declared, crossing her arms. “You can’t convince me otherwise.”

            Hazel laughed and shrugged. “To business,” Kris said, deciding to change the topic. “The reason we wanted to meet you here, Paul, is because we found another one.”

            “How?” Paul asked, leaning on the table.

            Paul ignored Espe as she tugged on his sleeve, wanting to know what Kris was talking about. “I met a girl where I work, and she could, you know,” Kris quirked an eyebrow. “So, I gave her my number and told her to call me and my friends to talk about it.”

            “You?” Paul said, astonished. “You tried to recruit her? But you’re so against this.”

            Kris ran a hand through her hair and huffed. “Yeah, yeah, I’m a hypocrite. The least we could do is talk to her about what’s happening.”

            “But give me the details,” Paul answered. “What’s her name? What can she do? When is she going to call?”

            “I don’t know. I can’t explain it. And I don’t know,” Kris answered mordantly. “Does that answer your questions?”

            Paul pouted. “No.”

            “Well, I want you to be there when she calls,” Kris said. “Can you do that?”

            “Sure, I would have to drop off Espe,” Paul replied. “She has soccer practice.”

            “That’s okay, I guess,” Kris said with a shrug. “You can come by my apartment after you drop her off.”

            “That is, if she doesn’t call me sooner,” Kris added sardonically.

            Hazel patted Kris’s hand. Kris glanced up to notice Molly walking over. Molly grabbed a spare chair from a different table and pulled it up between Espe and Hazel. “Can you hear the news from here?” Molly asked.

            “No,” Kris answered, looking at the television.

            “Well, it was telling another weird story,” Molly responded. “About a guy who died from coral snake venom.”

            Kris stiffened as a familiar face flashed on the television. It was the guy from the bar last night. “W-what’s weird about that?” Kris asked.

            “The guy has never been outside of Kattegat, especially not the past couple of days,” Molly explained. “This guy was injected with coral venom. The news described two puncture wounds on the arm, but they didn’t look like a coral snake bite. Police think-”

            Kris stood up. “Uh,” Kris said, her eyes flashing between the people at her table. “I don’t feel well.”

            Kris hurried through the crowd and into the bathroom. The bathroom had two stalls; thankfully, neither stall was in use. Kris ran to the larger, handicap stall, locking herself in. She sat on the tiled floor, trying to breathe deeply. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her shaking arms around them. In, out, in, out. In, shudder, out. “You’re fine,” Kris muttered unsteady. “You’re f-fine.”

            “It doesn’t sound like it,” Hazel commented.

            Kris gasped, then tried to laugh it off. “Ha, I-I didn’t hear you come in,” Kris said.

            “Well, I’m wearing my sneaky shoes,” Hazel joked, her heels clacking loudly as she walked to the stall door.

            Kris stared in to space, shivering. “Are you going to let me in?” Hazel inquired.

            “I-in the stall or in my h-head?”

            Hazel answered, “I would like to know what’s going on in your head right now, but step one is to let me in the stall.”

            “No thanks.”

            “If you don’t let me in,” Hazel threatened. “I will crawl under the door.”

            Kris shifted over enough to unlock the door. Hazel came in and locked the door behind her. Hazel squatted, so that she was eye level with Kris. “Now, what’s wrong?” Hazel asked, reaching out to stroke Kris’s hair. “Do you feel ill?”

            Kris leaned away from Hazel. “Yes,” Kris answered.

            “Why? Are you menstruating? Got food poisoning? Are you having an anxiety attack?”

            “A-anxiety attack sounds close to what I’m feeling.”

            “Okay,” Hazel said calmly. “Now why are you anxious? Was it about the news story?”

            Kris nodded once. Hazel gave up on squatting and sat down, discreetly moving closer to Kris. “What about it?”

            “I… I met the… guy,” Kris said.

            “Oh, how long did you know him?” Hazel sounded sympathetic.

            “J-just yesterday.”

            Hazel’s eyebrows rose. “What happened?”

            “I tried to get away from him,” Kris said in a rush. “But he grabbed me, so I…”

            Kris looked at her shaking hands before showing them to Hazel. Her nails seemed to glow that sickly shade of yellow. “I… sunk my nails,” Kris finished, “In his arm.”

            “Oh my god,” Hazel replied, horrified. “Do you think you killed him?”

            Kris exhaled sharply. Wrapping her arms tighter around her body, she answered quietly, “I… think I did.”

            “That,” Hazel said before pausing. “Is a good reason to have an anxiety attack.”

            Kris didn’t respond, sticking her head on her knees. A series of emotion crossed over Hazel’s face: fear, sadness, finally compassion. Hazel put a hand on Kris’s shoulder. “Listen,” Hazel said. “I’m going to tell the others that you aren’t feeling well and that you plan on going home. Do you want me to go home with you?”

            Kris met her gaze. “No,” Kris croaked.

            She stood slowly, her knees trembling. “Go tell them. I’ll get going.”

            Kris unlocked the stall and walked out of the bathroom. She headed straight for the door, not bothering to look at Paul or Molly at the table. She disappeared out the door as Hazel approached the table. Molly stood up. “What’s wrong with her?” Molly asked, looking out the window.

            “She isn’t feeling well,” Hazel explained poorly. “So, she is going to her apartment. Don’t worry, I’ll check on her after we finish eating. And Paul will be by later today.”

            Molly nodded faintly. “Tell her I might come by later then. Right now, I gotta get back to work.”

            “Sure,” Hazel replied, giving her a faux confident smile.

            Molly smiled back, then left, picking up empty plates on her way back to the kitchen. Hazel sighed and slumped into her seat. “What happened to Kris, Hazel?” Paul asked quietly.

            Hazel waved it off. “She had an anxiety attack,” Hazel answered reassuringly. “It was fine; short-lived, not extreme.”

            The table was silent, even Espe seemed off put and uncomfortable. When their food arrived, Hazel politely asked that Pam box up Kris’s sandwich and fries. Pam took the plate back and the others started to eat. Hazel did little more than nibble at her salad sandwich. They had finished eating before Espe spoke up, “I hope your friend feels better.”

            “Thank you, Esperanza,” Hazel said.

            Hazel stood up and headed to the register. Pam came behind the counter. “That’ll be thirteen fifty,” Pam stated, placing a bag holding Kris’s food on the counter.

            Hazel handed her a twenty. Pam gave Hazel her change, while Hazel took the bag of food. “Have a nice day,” Hazel said.

            Hazel walked back over to the table. “You too.” Pam replied.

            “Good bye Paul and Esperanza,” Hazel said. “I’ll see you at the apartment.”

            “Yeah,” Paul responded. “I’ll see you soon.”

            Hazel turned and left. Once out on the street, she picked up the pace, eager to get back to Kris.