***** The Hunt *****
Andrew's wide eager eyes took in the hundreds of green steel girders that spanned above them as they crossed the Vancouver-Portland Interstate Bridge. Even this majestic bridge spoke of the Pacific Northwest's love for everything verdant. As they crossed beneath the "Welcome To Oregon" sign Andrew's excitement hit its peak. His phone chimed and Andrew could hear Sara giggling in the seat beside him.
"All I am saying is that a mini is super cute." The words drifted across his consciousness as he thought about his phone. Andrew smiled while casting a grin towards his bored girlfriend who was balled up on the passenger seat.
"I'm sure the fact that it's a 'sport' model has nothing to do with your preference. Does it?" His voice held a playful challenge that he knew Sara would not be able to resist.
Sara brought up her phone and began typing with feverish speed.
"Seriously, sweetie. I think we can just talk at this point. You don't need to-" his statement was interrupted by the chime of his phone.
"Hey, this is wht The Rocket wld hv wanted." The statement drifted through Andrew's mind while he shook his head and chuckled. The car slowed with the heavy traffic leading into downtown Portland, and as Andrew changed lanes the screen on Sara's phone intensified in brightness before the input on her messaging app populated with, ":car: :tombstone: :flag: #neverforget"
They both chuckled and Sara said, "Wow, you are getting really good at this."
Andrew chanced a smiling glance at the radiant grin on Sara's face, and almost hit a car as traffic stopped. His arm darted across Sara's chest attempting to shield her during the surprise stop. She rubbed his arm as they settled and said, "OK, maybe we should stop messing with your new gift for a bit."
"I wonder where she got that idea from." Andrew thought to himself, and the words flashed across Sara's phone for a brief moment before vanishing.
They both chuckled as they considered how quickly Andrew had picked up his new talent. Their exploration of his ability had begun the moment they hit the road, and now three hours later they were both shocked by the speed with which his new gift had manifested itself. What had started with Sara sending playful and enticing texts in the hopes of turning Andrew on had developed into a seemingly one sided conversation as his power grew.
The first few messages left Andrew with a vague feeling of surprise or arousal, but after thirty minutes he had started to see the words in the back of his mind and would repeat them back to Sara confirming his gifts accuracy. From that moment forward, Sara had a new game which she had used as a fun distraction through the long and boring drive; what can I say to get Andrew to pay attention to me.
He sent a text to his parents through the phone which rested in his pocket; letting them know that Sara and he had just arrived in Portland. Andrew was reminded of how fast this new ability had become almost second nature to him as he closed the messaging app through his gift. He found it difficult to not mentally interact with the devices around him now that he had become aware of this new talent, though he still felt a sense of confusion over the ambiguous nature of this gift.
The devices were easy to interact with, but it reminded him of moving his arm, or wiggling his toes. They existed, but felt like an extension of himself, and less like Sara where she was distinctly separate within his mind. Unlike his sexy girlfriend there was no sprite or icon to represent the devices, much as he had no direct way to interact and interpret his own hand within his mind. Sara's cute amber sprite danced with a playful flutter through his thoughts and drew his attention to Karen's pale blue sprite, which he was working hard to try and ignore.
"So, are we ruling out the Outback then?" Andrew's voice showed his uncertainty as he watched the traffic around them.
"Don't get me wrong, I understand your points. We could really use the room." Sara thought about how true that would be if things with Karen worked out how she wanted. "But I just want something sporty."
Sara flashed her cutest sad kitten face and was rewarded with a chuckle and "awwww" from Andrew as he glanced over at her.
"OK, let's at least check it out and see what kind of condition it's in. The price is pretty amazing, and it's supposed to be in great shape. At least that way we could have a fallback if the Mini doesn't work out."
Realizing that her sad kitten face was not going to win this for her, Sara resigned herself to at least consider the competition. The traffic moved through the city at a steady pace, and while Andrew marveled at how much greenery was tucked into every open space, he got the sense that this was an eclectic city. The people, like the countless stores and buildings, all spoke of uncompromising character.
"This place is all about being who you are, isn't it?" Andrew was amazed as he admired the wide variety of people and places they passed. He had never seen such a rich tapestry of Americana on display as he saw now. He watched as a businessman exited a gastro pub, holding the door for a tall woman with long hair and tattoos spiraling up her arms and across her neck.
"Yeah, I think that's fair to say." Sara responded as she considered the city sprawled out around them. She had never spent the time to consider Portland, for her it was always an annoyance on her single minded journeys to see her mother. Now, with a welcome and fresh perspective she found that Andrew was absolutely right.
They made their way to their first stop for the morning; a moderate sized house nestled down a cul-de-sac in a upper middle-class neighborhood. Non-indigenous trees and shrubs were scattered throughout the neighborhood, which screamed to Andrew of artifice. He spotted the green Outback parked in a driveway, and he felt his phone warm in his pocket as he texted the man from the listing.
Andrew and Sara exited their SUV after parking on the street outside of the house. They were soon greeted by a pleasant looking thirtyish year old man in a polo shirt and slacks. He shook Andrew's hand and seemed to make a point of ignoring Sara as he said, "Andrew, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I trust the drive wasn't too bad."
If the guy had any issues with Andrew's video-game themed t-shirt, or his black baggy jeans he gave no obvious sign. Sara studied the man and could almost smell his nervous energy as he escorted them towards the Outback.
"Hey Alec, the drive was great. The freeway was pretty scary, but there was not much traffic. Ohh, and the views were just amazing. All this green is really something. My parents were worried, but it ended up being pretty good."
Sara eyed Andrew knowing that he was up to something. He gave her a warm smile before settling his attention back on Alec.
"That's great, Andrew. Glad to hear it, buddy. As the ad says, she's only got sixty three thousand miles on her, and we have kept up on her scheduled maintenance. Wish we could keep her, but with the kiddo on the way we need to get something larger."
While Sara got the key from Alec and walked around the car, Andrew spent a few seconds trying to gauge the man he was dealing with. He already knew he didn't like the pleasant seeming man; much like this neighborhood something just felt off about him.
"We had another couple out here an hour ago, and they put in an offer. So if you want her, you're gonna need to beat their bid." Alec's voice was confident and eager as he smiled at Andrew who finished walking towards the car.
Sara was in the driver's seat, admiring how comfortable it was. She wanted to dislike the car, but found the feeling of the cockpit rather pleasant, as if the car was welcoming her in for an adventure. Andrew pecked her on the cheek before reaching down and pulling the hood release.
Sara gripped the wheel and imagined herself speeding through the twisting roads of the Olympic National Park while Andrew walked towards the front of the car. His hand glided along the glossy green paint and his eyes squinted as something about the well maintained vehicle felt wrong. He lifted the hood and admired how clean the engine compartment was. It was so clean the car looked like it had just come from the dealership.
