Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.
Ryan is in New Orleans to meet the band who has hired him to chronicle their first tour, Salvation. He thinks this may be his last chance to make something of his writing. He is met at the airport by twins, Aiden and Abby. But all is not as it seems and Ryan may be in for a big surprise. Find out what's up in this week's chapter of In Pieces. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what they're up to. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!
In Pieces #5 (2.3)
“These all the same?” Abby gave her brother a questioning
look as she reached for the drinks. Aiden nodded . She set one of the mugs in front of Ryan,
while Aiden distributed everything else.
“Three salted caramel macchiato,” he said. “And three authentic
New Orleans beignets. I was looking at the menu, wondering what would be the
ultimate New Orleans experience and I almost decided to get the chicory, but
the girl who was waiting on me said it’s kind of bitter, and something of an
acquired taste, especially if you’re not used to it, so I thought we could try
these instead?” Pausing to take a breath at last, he looked to his sister, as
if seeking her approval. She nodded and he smiled.
This one’s a talker,
Ryan made a mental note.
Normally, Ryan took his coffee black, but under the
circumstances he wasn’t about to complain. He could make the most of any
situation, if he had to. “Thank you,” he
said, not wanting to appear ungrateful, before adding, “I take it the two of you aren’t from around here?”
“Nope, strictly tourists.”
Aiden dropped the empty tray onto a nearby table then flopped into the
chair beside Abby. Side by side, Ryan could appreciate their resemblance even
more. They both possessed the same high cheekbones, the same porcelain skin that
only served to bring out the utter blueness of their eyes. Masculine and
feminine—these twins blurred conventional gender lines in a way that Ryan found
to be breathtaking. He forced himself to
look away from them, reminding himself that staring might be considered rude.
“We’ve always wanted to see the city, just never had the
chance,” Abby said. “We got lucky that Salvation’s starting their tour in
Louisiana. We’re using New Orleans as our base of operations when we can.”
N’awlins rolled off her tongue as though she were a native.
“You mean that house you were talking about?” Ryan asked. “The
one that belongs to one of your fans?” Lifting his macchiano gingerly, he took
a cautious sip. The creamy froth on top was criss-crossed with caramel lines
and glistening sea salt. What he really wanted lay somewhere below that. He had
to tilt the glass to reach the coffee beneath, let it run down his throat in a
warm cascade. The taste was better than
he’d expected. Just sweet enough without being too sweet.
“Cameron’s house, yeah. We’ll still probably end up in a motel or two along
the way, for some of the farther out gigs. It’ll be fun.”
Ryan wondered what Aiden’s definition of fun was. In his
experience, most motels had little to offer in the way of entertainment, and
were often definitely short on the amenities .
As he listened to the siblings, it belatedly occurred to him he’d never
thought to ask for a copy of the band’s itinerary. Knowing where they were
going might be important information to have. He’d promised Cassie he would
keep in touch with her. Postcards would be a way of showing her something of
the places he was getting to see as well as letting her know he hadn’t
forgotten her. Assuming he had time for any sightseeing. Guess he’d find out
what the band did in their leisure time, then decide if he wanted to follow
suit or not.
“So where do you come from?” Ryan asked. “If you don’t mind
my asking, I mean. I’m not trying to be nosy or anything—”
“Just doing your job,” Abby finished for him. “We
understand, don’t worry. That’s what you’re here to do, we get it. If there’s
anything we don’t want to talk about, trust me, we won’t. So feel free to ask
away. Aiden and I come from sunny California. ”
Good to know.
Ryan remembered Abby’s hint about a notebook. He’d brought
one with him, his fallback position for times when he might not want to use his
laptop, although he’d brought that too. Never
leave home without it was his motto. Although nothing could compete with
the sheer simplicity of pen and paper. His handwriting skills, however, left
something to be desired, and had atrophied to the point where Cassie claimed it
resembled chicken scratch. Luckily, he could still decipher it himself.
Why hadn’t he brought it on the plane with him, instead of
stuffing it into his luggage? He hadn’t anticipated needed it before he had a
chance to unpack. This was all so new to him. For the hundredth time, he
wondered why him. What made him the right man for this job? Surely not the
novels that had barely seen the light of day and received mixed reviews at
best?
Digging into his suitcase here and now was probably not a
good idea. He’d have to trust to his memory, at least for now. He patted one
pocket of his jacket. Nope, didn’t even have a pen. What kind of writer was he?
The unsuccessful kind.
“California,” he repeated,
realizing belatedly he was becoming lost in his own head…again. He was almost
afraid to meet the twins’ eyes, afraid he’d already made a bad impression. But
when he lifted his gaze, he found they weren’t looking at him, but at something
behind him.
“Didn’t expect to see you here,”
Aiden was saying, while Abby took a bite of beignet and said nothing. “How’d
you get here? Cameron?”
Who was here? Another member of
the band? Ryan turned toward the newcomer. The light from the concourse momentarily blinded him. All he
could make out was a silhouette.
“No, I took a cab. I decided I
just couldn’t wait any longer, so here I am.”
That voice. So familiar and yet so
strange.
As Ryan’s eyes adjusted, the man’s
features came into focus. Crystal blue
eyes of infinite depth.
Ryan’s own eyes grew wide in
shock.
Could it be…. Was this… But how….
to be continued
Now go see what the other Briefers have been doing!
No comments:
Post a Comment