"Umm, are you ok?" I looked down t see a pair of perfectly tied up Nike shoes. I followed up from the shoes to the body, then got a major idea of who it was. Suddenly heating up, I looked at the face for confirmation.

It was the Starbucks girl.

"I'm fine," I said, after wrecking my brain for what she had asked me just before. She now wore different clothes, a skirt and a white T-shirt with nothing on the front. "Sorry if I bothered you. You just looked a bit unwell," I noticed that we were talking low for the sake of the other readers. "I'm fine. Just a got a bit sentimenatal with these," I pinted at the newspaper section in general. I finally got a chance to examine her for real as her eyes darted to the sect. "Newspapers?" Sha asked without looking at me, then sat a bit, knees folded. "Yes," I suddenly felt bad for telling her the truth right away. The newspaper I had crumpled was obvious to my yes even when I was standnig, and she'd find the page. But with no choice-if I stuttered here, I would be considered a stammering boy-or a man to be exact.

I also knelt down again.

She had hazel-brown eyes and wore no makeup. Just the same wavy, brown hair, a bit darker than her eyes. I also realized that she had thin legs-I hadn't been able to see them in the cafe since she was sitting. She had the same bag on her back, probably with her writing pen and papers. She did look like a uni. student as I told you-maybe I was mistaking her...

"Oh," She muttered and-held out her hand towards the crumpled addition. 'Shit,' I thought. Her hand grabbed the spine and her fingers pulled the thing out. She carefull opened the book to its crumpled page. Then stared at it.

She now turned to face me directly. "Was it this?" She asked-nonaccusingly, thankfully, though. "Yeah," I nodded. "Guess I over-reacted," I cursed as her eyes drifeted naturally to the page and its contents in particular.

"Oh," She said again as she skimmed the contents. "This one?" She pointed at the main article about poll expectations and the candidates. "Actually, this one," The words and my finger went faster than my slow brain. In a second, I was pointing at the side article.

There was no avoiding it. Damn it.

I found her finished reading and scrunching her eyebrows together, obviously searching for words to fill our silence.

"I just... found the story a bit sad, especially of the dad," I said. Oops. Maybe 'father' was the better expression. I swallowed. With the tension so high here with the girl, I luckily didn't let the tears come back. I mean, it was almost impossible.

"I see. It's a bit sad," She agreed, and the tension reduced a bit. She flattened the page, then stared at the contents once more. "Well, do you know them? The boys, I mean. I actully read this addition when I was 18. I still remembr it," She was also 18! or 25 currently, to be exact.

"Well, I guess we're the same age," I said after my brain carefully checked the sentence to be ok to hide the secret from her. "Oh, you're... 25 now?" "Yes," I nodded. Who thought I'd use my stupid age change here positively? "What's your name?" The words suddenly came out of my mind wihout getting through the filter of my brain once more. "June. June Marks," She said, without showing her surprise. She looked at me expectantly. "I'm Eric," I said without filtering. Then realized my mistake. She had just read a story of the past me. I was panicking and ready to say 'hey, it's just a nickname' and make up some lame other name when she piped up.

"Good name," June said.

My legs were starting to ache, so I srated to get up. June put the paper onto the bookshelf after carefully checking the date and evrythiing. "I saw you at Starbucks this morning," She said, pulling the straps on her bag. "Oh, yeah. Me too-you were writing something," I said, so glad that she hadn't gotten a hint of me. "Yup. Well, also I come to Starbucks every day to write-I'm a writer," "Oh. Good inspiration there?" I asked. I was glad she rememebred me. "Yup," She said, then checked her watch. "Well, I should get going. I got some books here and need to research on them soon," She pointed to her bag. "Oh," I said. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow," I added. " You also gonna be reading with your friend?" She asked. I nodded. "Yes. Starbucks is the only brand I know of coffee, so, I guess," I smiled at her. She grinned. "Ok. Thanks,"

After saying the phrase that she didn't need to say, she walked away from the sector and went out of the library after opening the door soundlessly.

I just stared as I had done after Jake had left that morning.

I returned straight to the hotel after leaving the library. Jake was awake and was making his bed when I came in. He saw my frozen face-or maybe my smile. "You look like someone who finallly found something not lame to do," He commented as I opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. "Uh-huh, exactly," I replied before taking a huge swig. "Found a job? Unlikely... Met the girl of your life? Not really unlikely... Contacted your parents?" I glared at him. "No. I mean, sort of..." I said after swallowing. "Huh?" Jake had obviously asked that as a joke. Now he was surprised for real. "Not contacted. Just found our  own story in the TIMES-the 7 year ago version," I didn't tell him about June , though. "What did my parents say?" He asked, a bit more seriously. "Both our parents weren't quoted. A shame," I muttered, then checked the time. "It's 8 now," I said. "Time for work." "What about you?" His eager attitude for earning money had disappeared-for at least now. I groaned. "I'll try to find... mayeb I'll work at Starbucks," Jake whooted and cracked up. "Shit, you know nothing about coffee but the kinds and prices! Ok, Maybe you can clean...""I can learn, I guess," I said. "Ok. Just go out and get it done. I'll try to ask my new manager to cut the price for both of us to eat one night," He grinned, then got into his jacket. "Good luck," I called out before he left.

I looked out the window as soon as the door closed instead of going to Starbucks, since I knew she wouldn't be there, except in the morning. The sun had set long ago, but still, I could ee a light hue of dark red, blending in easily with the dark blue sky. I still loved it.

I sighed and truned away from the window. The events that had happened since just ysterday right after school and till just a few minutes ago hit me again. I absentmindedly  wondered of what might have happpened to my and dad's poor Ford.

I lowered myself on the couch again and stared at the ceiling. June.

Her name was June.

With that, I was under.

                                                                              #

The sound of the door closing was what opened my heavy eyes. Someone had closed it real hard that the floor and walls around it shook.

"Huh? Jake?" My eyes had nothign difficult to adjust to-there was no light on in the room. His response came a minute after my speaking. "Hey, Eric," his usual voice came-but it was obisuly tense and quick, out of breathe. "What's it?" I forced my head off the top of the couch and pushed my body off it. I stood a bit unsteadily. I turned the light on myself. I squinted my eyes at a disheveld looking Jake, still in his jacket. Oh, right-he was the one who had just banged the door shut.

He took a deep breathe, and that made me worry if he would say somethign peculiar.

"I was followed on the way back here," He said.

Ok, that was peculiar.

"Followed?" I asked, voice raising a bit. "Yeah-by people in suits," "Suits? What are you talking about?" Jake sighed, then wriggled his jacket off. "Exactly," He said.

"I finished working and was shutting the store down with the chef. There were almost no one on the streets excpet us-we had just finished preparing some ingredients. We finished, then the chef left. I was walking toward the hotel alone when I heard them talking softly to each other. I looked around and saw them in a dark suit. There were 4 of them, and their faces were obvsiouly turned to me. I quickened my pace, bu tthey followed me. They even got into the hotel. But stopped at the lobby," "Who do you think they are?" I asked,a bit cold-sweated. It did sound a bit freaking out."I don't know," Jake replied, the sighig, fanning himself. He turned on the TV.

As my eyes watched ads, a memory recurred to me. 'Plus, it added that the SSC agents would be easily identifiable with black suits,'

Black suits.

"The SSC," I said.

"Huh?" Jake asked, tearin gis eyes from a jolly and silly ad about a new summer clothes sale.

"It's a new police sect or somethig implemenetd by the gov just today-no, yesterday," I said. "But why would they follow me?!" "Wait. We're from past  New York. The sect is short for Sect on Special Cases. Yup, lame-but I guess our case is peculiar," "But how did they find out? Plus, we did nothing wrong!" Jake retorted. "We didn't intednt it, Jake. and that means, we had unintednngly done something wrong," "Jesus," Jake said, getting it. "Then can they help us get back?" He asked, almos to himself. " I doubt it. They didn't sound like the good cops in your tale. Maybe we should avoid them," I asaid. "I guess. But then where do we go and how do we get back to the past unharmed?""I don't know, Jacob," I said, a bit annoyed now. "Right," He sighed and just stared at the TV screem glumly.

But I had to go to Starbucks today! I really had to. But with those suddenly sinsiter-feeling police downstairs...

"But I want to go to Starbucks again," I murmurred. "Maybe it will be better if we manage to sneak out. We can run out there," Jake smiled at he idea. "I guess. But the point is how," I said, exasperaed and conflicted. "Nothing's impossible, they say," I could hear the grin in his suddenly-invigorated voice. "ok. Then let's try," I said. "It's 7 in the mornig-I got here a bit late as my first day at work. Is Starbucks open now?" "Bet it is by the time we're out safely," I said and got into my jacket.

We got in the elevator. Jake smiled a crooked smile. "I'm gonn show that I have an ally..." "Won't that show that we are even more worth hunting?" I said, narrowing my eyes at him, though I was happy to go to Starbucks.

The elevator reached ground floor after a moment of silence.

"Here goes," I murmured right before the door opened. Jake was already in position.

I lamely walked out from the elevator and saw them immidiately.

They were in their dark suits as shown on teh news and Jake's description. They had a plethora of gears packed onto their belts and was black from top to bottom, all four of them burly. They just stood. 1 sttod facing the window. The other 3 faced the rest of the lobby

-and me.

  I could see their eyes, scrutizing and looking a bit scary.

And you know what? Those eyes actually narrowed when they saw me back.

This wasn't what I had expected-they had somehow recognized me. I watched as I walked across the lobby to the receptionsist, trying to not be intimated by them. Now, one of the SSCs facing me moved his mouth a bit-he was probably talking to the others.

Why were the doing that specifically at me?

Sicne me and Jake were the target.

"May I help you with something, sir?" The woman behind her desk asked politely, her eyes twitching toward the intruders in the lobby. I cleared my throat and tried to focus. "I think I would prefer my room to be cleaned," "What's your room number?" I knew it, thankfully. "1403," I said lowly. "Thank you-I'll send the cleaning staff right away," I nodded and walked to the glass door, hoping they won't stop me.

Luckily they seemed to be in some sort of discussion. Their eyes darted around, mouths moving real quick. I slwoly walked to the left of the hall to the glass front door, and stuck to the wall. I plugged in my earbuds losely, palms sweating up.

I could feel their eyes, but din't hear heavy pairs of feet running to get me.

The doors slid open, and I was out.

But I knew that I couldn't let go of my nerves already-Jake had to repeat what I had done, excpet asking the receptionist anything different-he'd have to survive the glance of the other tenants of the rooms, staying in the elevator all the while or just stay in the room. Though I knew he was nervous, and would be in the elevator, trying to peek at the location of the SSC.

I also stil had my hazards-the men could have stopped discussing on what oto do and be after me somehow...

So as soon as I made it to the bend n the street, I ran like hell. And I mean it here.

The otehr stores and sign all passed up in a bg flash, and the people looked at me as if I was peculiar. Well, exactly, ladies and gent. I'm a New Yorker and my last 7 years passed in one mintes just yesterday.

Once I saw Starbucks, I started to relax, and checked thtat t was just opening. I banged through the door and ignored the male receptionist, who looked at me just like all the others. I didn't go loof for a seat immeidately , though-I stood panting, staring through the glass, a the general direction of the hotel. I saw no one yet. Only protected by the thin glass, I just stared, ready to hit the road with a stolen car if the situation got too desperate.

Well, only the ordinary cusotmers came into view and insdie the cafe, and I ordered chocolate latte. before that, since Jake wasn't coming even now, I considered texting him-then panisked that they could have already taken him hostage and that if I texted him, they'd know my-

Just then, I saw June get out of her own car, a black SUV wth strange curves on its body. I was ready to freak out after I saw her

Well, not becasue of her.

Becasue of the running SSCs from across the oblivious June.