THE MOMENT
“Well, you can imagine what a production that turned into,” Monica nodded while continuing the elaborated answer. She was thrilled to spend time with Kirk, and not only that, he was asking about her. The two teens were walking alone on an empty white sand beach. It was stark, bright white sand, and the water was a rich, vibrant red, all under a dark purple sky with a pink moon and a cool breeze. It was a private beach on a private Earth that Kirk had never visited. She was barefoot, and he wasn't.
“After Sharp Development gave you & your friends the powers?” Kirk asked. “They're pretty organized, so I'm guessing it went smoothly?”
“They're organized, all right.” Monica nodded. “But everything's a test with those people,” she added. “I didn't know it, but they were only going to recruit one of us. They empowered six finalists; we just happened to be friends already.”
“So, how'd you get picked as the winner?” Kirk asked.
“In the dumbest way possible, probably.” Monica giggled. “Remember my dagger?” she asked. She always had it with her, but didn't feel the need to pull it out right then and there. She wanted to keep her hands free, just in case.
“Yeah, it's pretty awesome,” Kirk nodded with a smile.
“It’s swell you think so,” she grinned. “The other five girls weren’t as keen.”
“They told you that?” he asked. She shook her head.
“It was pretty apparent. And Bijou told me that when I was selected. She showed me the private interviews each of them gave. They were all worried about my ‘demonic dagger’. Even when Bijou told them it was more of a prop than an evil influence, they all voted me off the team.”
“Oh. Is that why she picked you?”
“Kind of, but not exactly.” Monica nodded. “I was kind of a default choice from that group. They were all too square for the real job if they were going to let words and abstract ideas rattle them. Once I joined the Redline program, I really had to try to keep up with the rest.”
“Well, you made it to Redline Guard. All that hard work paid off.” Kirk said. “What happened to the rest of the team?”
“They ‘saved the world’ and gave up their powers to live normal lives. As far as they know, I was booted from the team and so embarrassed I had to move away.”
“You got to join Sharp Development and see the multiverse. You're definitely the one that won there.” Kirk said. He gently brushed his shoulder against hers along with the comment. It was a complete accident as a result of wearing shoes on the beach, but Monica wasn't going to let the moment escape.
As soon as their hands were accidentally close enough, she entangled her fingers with his. He was surprised for a moment and held her hand stiffly before he finally relaxed.
“The Redline Guard brought me to Toku-high, and I got to meet a real dreamboat. I definitely won.”
