Arrivals and Disappearances

Just like yesterday, the bus ride is pretty uneventful. There are more people riding than there were last night, but nothing really notable happens despite that. I do notice a few attractive women on the bus, but I don't really have any desire to use the remote on someone I'll probably never see again.

The bus approaches my stop and I start preparing to get off. As I do, I glance out the window and notice that something is different. I quickly do a double take as I piece together what is missing: the old shop where I got the remote! It's not there anymore! In it's place is a small construction site where a bunch of workers appear to be building something.

Once I see the construction site, a bunch of memories come flooding back to me. That's right! There was a construction site there! I never really gave it much thought since it was never that interesting, but they've been working on building something on that lot since last semester. That's why I had never noticed that antique shop. It wasn't there before yesterday evening. Man, I must have been more tired than I thought if I didn't realize that when I first saw it. And now, just as suddenly as it appeared, it's gone.

I get off the bus, and as it drives away, I cross the street and approach the site. As I do, I see a large, muscular man wearing a tank top and a hard hat, who notices me as I approach. I'm not really sure what to say to this man, but I feel obligated to at least try to figure out what happened.

"Hey, how long have you guys been working on building this thing?" I ask, unsure of what they're even working on.

"Huh? I don't know, a couple months, maybe. Why?" He asks, obviously confused by my questioning.

"You haven't noticed anything weird about this place, have you?"

"Uh... what are you talking about?" Honestly, I'm sure I even know what I'm talking about.

"I just..." I should probably phrase this next part carefully. "I could have sworn there was something else here last night."

I admit I probably sound like a lunatic right now. Before I have a chance to further embarrass myself, the two of us are interrupted.

"Hey, Harry! You gonna stand around talkin' to people all day or are you gonna help my with this cement?!" I hear a woman call from the opposite end of the construction site.

"Keep your shirt on, Jen! I'm coming!" The man yells back before turning to me. "Listen, kid. I don't know what you think you saw, but I can assure you that this construction site has been the only thing here for months and will be the only thing here for months to come. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work."

With that, the man turns to go help his coworker. Well, that got me nowhere. But should I really be surprised if the shop in question sold me a magic remote that transforms people? I decide to drop the issue for now and cross the street again.

"Interested in construction now, are we? What, are you hoping to get a job or something?" A voice suddenly calls out to me playfully.

I turn in the direction of the voice to see a familiar face walking down the sidewalk toward me. I suppose I should have known that Violet would see me talking to that guy and have questions, considering that she usually meets me at the bus stop.

Violet Garcia has easily become my best friend since I started going to North Ridge. The two of us met in one of our classes our first semester and it didn't take long before we were super close. I've never been great at meeting new people, but for some reason, Violet and I just clicked. We have a lot of the same hobbies, enjoy a lot of the same music, shows, and movies, and we ever have similar senses of humor. All that combined with the fact that her freshman dorm was on the same path as the bus stop I use, and we almost immediately started talking and hanging out. Even now, she still likes to meet me at the bus stop whenever she can so we can walk to class together.

It probably isn't surprising to hear that I think Violet is hot, with her slim, yet enticing physique, but it's more than that. Violet is absolutely gorgeous. Her tan skin... her sparkling eye... her charming smile... her long brown hair that I can confirm is a soft as it looks... it really feels like she has it all. The only reason I haven't tried to ask her out is because of how badly I don't want to lose our friendship. And also the fact that she's definitely out of my league, but mostly because I love being as close with her as I already am. I shouldn't have to say this, but Violet is absolutely out of the question when it comes to Random Remote test subjects.

"Oh, hey, V. No, I'm not looking for a job, much less one in construction. I was actually... well, it's a long story."

"As curious as I am, we don't exactly have time for a long story. I put too much effort into this essay to turn it in late. Especially when Dr. Powell is the one grading it."

"Good call. We have the rest of our lives to talk, but those lives will only last about ten more minutes if we don't move it."

Violet chuckles, then nods her head. The two of us quickly begin walking towards our class together. We keep a little conversation, mainly about how we're both doing, but we mainly focus on getting to class.