Free INITIUM NOVUM: Part 1 by Casper Greysun Page B

pictures of us from our
dance days. In frames. I’ve been meaning to hang them up since
forever now,” Heather tells her sister.
    The waitress brings over the girl’s order. As
they eat, they continue their small talk. After a while, Ruth
notices that Heather continues to peak over at the large male
sitting at the next table over.
    “Alright, seriously, you’re being rude now,”
Ruth scolds.
    “I’m listening to everything you’re saying,
sis. I’m not being rude, I swear.”
    “Not to me,” Ruth begins to elaborate. “To
him. It’s obscenely rude to stare at someone like that, like you’ve
been doing.”
    “You’re right,” Heather says, agreeing with
her older and, at the moment, wiser sister.
    After asking for the check, Ruth retrieves her
phone from her bag so that she can use the calculator feature to
figure out what the appropriate tip is. Since she rarely uses her
phone for any actual real life tasks, she has trouble finding the
calculator application on the device.
    “Shit, these phones are such a pain
sometimes,” Ruth complains loudly.
    Hearing this, Milton gently lowers his fork,
wipes his mouth, and then offers his assistance, without ever
leaving his seat.
    “Hey, check the utility folder on the start
menu,” he instructs Ruth, who stares blankly at him before
realizing that he was talking to her and no one else.
    “Oh, you’re talking to me. I’m sorry. My mind
is gone today,” she says, attempting to excuse her own
unintentional rudeness.
    “No worries,” Milton replies, politely
dismissing her apology. “Check the utility folder.”
    Ruth follows his instructions. In a matter of
seconds, she finds the application.
    “Thank you so much. How did you know where to
find it?” She questions as Heather eyes dart to and from Milton’s
frame and unto her sister’s.
    “That’s the latest model of the iCelly on the
Sentinel Operating System. I sell them up at the mobile store on
Union Square. Sold out last month during a blow-out sale. Still
waiting on the next shipment.”
    “That’s funny. I got this one a month ago,”
she says holding up the phone. On the back of the case there is an
insignia which Milton instantly notices.
    “That’s one of ours, a limited edition iCelly.
Exclusive to our location. Look at the Union Square stamp on the
back.”
    “Oh, so that’s what that is. Okay, so then
maybe you’ve met my husband.”
    “Maybe. I’ve sold a lot of those.”
    Just then Heather realizes that Will is their
connection, but because Will’s is not present, there is no way for
her to have known who Milton is, or what Milton’s purpose is. She
is only allotted Will’s stories for review. Luckily, she’s already
read a Will story where the man in question fits perfectly, and she
has now just put two and two together. Milton’s wet, clinging shirt
was all the evidence she needed. The only difference was that
Heather never met up with Ruth in that reality. In that version,
Will had never asked Heather, albeit somewhat obnoxiously, if she
planned to answer her phone, thusly her subconscious mind never
initiated the action. This time around, she picked up the
phone.
    Outside, the rain begins to pour. Milton looks
towards the entrance’s glass window and sucks his teeth.
    “Hey, mister, did someone spill coffee on you
this morning?” Heather asks as she points to his damp
shirt.
    “How did you know it was coffee?” He
questions.
    “Wild guess. Was it hot?” She
probes.
    “It was so frickin’ hot,” he responds, echoing
his earlier words.
    “Of course it was,” she says, trailing off a
little at the end. “Of course it was.”

CHAPTER 9:
     
    “Hey!” Jessica hollers as Will snatches the
smart phone out of her hand and takes off with it, running down the
corridor of Beth Israel Hospital like a maniac. He runs past the
security guard who makes little effort to turn his head to see
what’s going on, let alone actually seize Will. The guard,
shrugging his