01: Random Roadway Encounters

Nicole was riding to work with her boyfriend. As always, he insisted on when they left, what she could take, what she wore and even what they listened to on the way into town. They both worked in St. Louis, although they lived in Lebanon, Illinois, a town just about a half hour’s drive from the city. Nicole was sitting staring out the window as Stuart was talking about some petty thing bothering him at work. At least he’s not haranguing me about something I forgot to do, she told herself.

She was merely glancing at the many passing cars when she suddenly felt an odd sensation in the pit of her stomach and sat up a little straighter. For some reason she could tell there was someone important in one of the cars ahead of her. She didn’t know why, but she felt it was important she at least see who it was. Like maybe it would improve her life somehow, something she could definitely stand at this point.

Life with Stuart had become stifling lately. When they first met it had been exciting. He’d arrived and swept her off her feet. He’d seemed utterly devoted to her and was interested in everything she said or did. However lately he seemed much less interested in her, except to get upset when she didn’t pay enough attention to him. He also didn’t seem particularly concerned with her views on anything anymore. Not that she could blame him, she hardly had any views on any topics nowadays. She never saw any of her friends, her family had grown distant and she wasn’t allowed to stay late at work lest Stuart get upset.

Her sister Sue had warned her about Stuart, telling her he was trying to separate her from her family, but she’d believed Stuart when he told her she was the one trying to drive a wedge between them and that she’d actually made a pass at him. After hearing that, she stopped speaking to her sister altogether. Sue tried to talk to her after that, but after being ignored for several months Sue eventually gave up. Truth be known, she actually missed her sister, even if she was a back-stabbing little bitch.

But now she somehow knew there was someone in the car ahead of her who could improve her life. She knew it sounded stupid, and she was sure Stuart would be more than glad to point that out to her, but somehow she just felt seeing who it was would make a big difference somehow.

“Stuart, could you move over to the center lane? There’s a car I want to see,” she cautiously suggested.

“Huh? What was that?” he asked, glancing quickly at her before turning away again. “You want me to move into a slower lane so you can gawk at someone? What, you expect me to drive you around so you can stare at guys you think are better looking than me?”

Nicole knew he’d overreact to her request. He always seemed to turn everything she brought up into a criticism of him, but he did it as a personal attack. He never seemed hurt. Instead he always seemed angry she’d have an interest besides him.

“It’s nothing like that,” she said, trying to placate him. “It’s just that I think I saw someone important in it.” She was afraid to tell him the real reason she was interested, but she thought he’d buy that idea. He was fascinated with famous people.

Glancing across the lanes of traffic he scoffed. “I doubt it. No one famous would be caught dead in any of the beat up old cars around us, not to mention spending any time in a Podunk town like St. Louis. As soon as I become famous I’m leaving this stupid town and heading someplace impressive like California or the Jersey Shore. Somewhere people are actually doing something.”

Nicole tried to control her tongue, knowing how he was liable to react if she contradicted him, but she couldn’t help herself. “No, really, that little gray car. It must be someone traveling incognito.”

“Nicks, you’re dreaming,” he responded with a dismissive wave, not even glancing at her after nothing more than a quick glance at the car. “No one with any money would be caught dead in a car like that. Look, if you want to stare at handsome guys, just tell me and I’ll drop you off on the corner and you can look all you want, but you aren’t going to find anyone any better looking or more fascinating than I am. I’m not saying I’m the best looking guy in the world, but... ,” he said, luckily not expressing the sentiment behind the thought.

Stuart had long treated Nicole like this. He wasn’t physically abusive, instead what he practiced was a form of mental abuse based on his own insecurities. He didn’t have a great sense of himself, so he always made himself feel better by bringing those around him down to his level. And he’d do it in a very passive-aggressive manner. He’d never confront someone directly, choosing instead to belittle their ideas, or offer up impossible options he knew they’d clearly never take, just to emphasize a point. It was a long standing pattern, one which had developed slowly, so Nicole had never known he was so insidious, but after several years of living with him, she no longer had the confidence to do much of anything anymore.

So Nicole simply glanced out the window as they slowly made their way around the nondescript little car. Stuart already seemed to have forgotten the topic of discussion, as he was going on about something she’d forgotten again, but she had no desire to listen to it at the moment.

Amanda Beckett was running late. She’d tried, but she couldn’t talk her mother into babysitting again, so she was trying to drop her son Tyler off at daycare before she was late for a very important job interview—one she desperately needed. It was just so difficult getting ahead when life kept holding you back. There just had to be something more to life than pushing a time clock and trying to keep your head above water. But just as she thought that, she noticed something odd, or rather, she felt it. It was hard to describe, but there was something about the car ahead of her. She had no idea what it was, but there was just something about it. The car wasn’t very fancy, and the make and model didn’t mean anything to her, but she somehow knew there was someone important riding in it. She had no idea how she could possibly know that, but she just did. There were a couple of cars between her and the car in question, so she put her blinker on and started edging over, essentially forcing the car beside her to back off or be run off of the road.

She couldn’t see much of the car ahead. It looked like a nondescript little Japanese car. It had seen better days, but she knew outer appearances often belied what lay underneath, and she felt the same about the little car. As she drew closer she could see several figures inside. Even without seeing him, she could tell the figure in the passenger seat was what was drawing her. As she changed lanes abruptly, accompanied by the car behind her sounding its horn and flipping her off, the young woman in the back seat glanced back and seemed to notice her. However the young lady looked down, paying her no particular attention and seemed to be studiously looking for something. But soon she looked up again and held something up.

Amanda couldn’t see it very well, so she drew as close as she dared, tailgating the car in question to the displeasure of the intervening drivers. It seemed the girl was holding up some paper with some writing on it. She tried to read it but it was too hard to make out. Seeing her difficulty, the young girl, who Amanda now guessed must be college aged, was trying to stick the sheets of paper she’d written on to the rear window using nothing more than saliva. It seemed to work, at least partially. As she put the second sheet up Amanda could now make out the message. It read, simply, “Follow Us”. Nothing more, nothing less, but Amanda knew she’d follow that car to Oregon if she had to. She didn’t know why, but for some reason is was important for her to do so.

The car Nicole Mullins was watching held a few people. Glancing at her boyfriend to be sure he wasn’t watching her too closely, she saw a young woman in the back seat. The driver was a fairly tough but pretty young woman. She could only imagine what kind of life she’d be likely to have. She also noticed there was another car changing lanes to get closer to it, so she knew she wasn’t crazy. If someone else felt it, then she couldn’t be imagining things, now could she?

The car between them pulled forward and she got her first glance at the person riding in the passenger seat. As he came into view he glanced absentmindedly out the window in her direction, and suddenly she knew everything was going to be better. Somehow that one look and the brief glimpse of a smile, assured her her life was going to be better.

“Stuart,” she told him in an ominous tone which caught him by surprise. “You are going to change lanes. I want to see that car, and frankly, I don’t give a damn what you think about it.”

“Wha—?” he started to argue, even though he didn’t quite know what point he was arguing yet. Was she still going on about wanting to look at some stupid car?

“Listen, you little shithead,” she said, speaking in a barely audible whisper which made his blood run cold. Stuart knew she was more serious than she ever had been before. “You’ve controlled my life, you controlled access to my friends, you’ve ordered me around, but there comes a time for a person to reclaim their own life. You certainly haven’t done anything to make my life any better. Right now I’ve got no friends, no family, no outside interests and I’m barely hanging onto my job because you expect my constant attention. Well it ends right now. Now change lanes. I’ll let you know whether I’ve got any desire to go into work soon or not.”

Man, Nicole was pissed. She had no idea where it had come from, but when she started it just seemed to bubble up from somewhere deep inside of her. Stuart glanced at her, looking nervous that he’d unknowingly upset her so much. His longstanding control over her had been indirect, and he wasn’t comfortable with direct confrontations. Unable to understand how his world had just changed so radically, Stuart finally did something wise ... he shut up and followed her instructions.

“I don’t know what this is about, but—” he started to say.

“No, Stuart, like so many things, you have no idea what you’re talking about. You think you’re so special, but all you’ve managed to accomplish is to get a job making copies in an office downtown. Now shut the fuck up and stay out of this. This is more important than either of us,” Nicole assured him. He wisely decided to quit arguing and comply.

The car Alex was riding in was new, relatively speaking. No one had wanted him to use his old car to drive across the country. He’d resisted their pressure to purchase a new car until they pointed out he wouldn’t like it if his car broke down in the middle of the Mojave desert and he had to walk out of there on foot. However, once he agreed he might need a new car, they insisted on a big SUV.

“Don’t worry,” Shani assured him, “the foundation can cover the expenses. But the SUVs are the safest vehicles, both in terms of accidents and in protecting you from other dangers as well. Especially if we get one of the ones that Gail suggests, with the darkened windows and added body protection.”

Alex had simply sighed at this. “Look, Jesus didn’t drive into Jerusalem in a fancy new chariot. He traveled by donkey or on foot. It hardly looks comforting for me to drive up in a fancy new SUV. I’m willing to drive a newer car, after all, California is a hell of a long ways away, but I want a small car which will fit in wherever we may end up. I don’t want to worry about someone stealing it, getting carjacked, or thinking I’m stealing money from the foundation. The foundation is there to help the girls, not to treat me like I’m a king. I’ll spend a few bucks to get a reliable car, but it’s going to be appropriate for a kid of my stature.”

“Alex, your stature is ... never mind. As always, we’ll follow your decisions,” Shani had acquiesced. “We may not like it, but you probably know best.”

So Alex had ended up with a ten year old Toyota Corolla he got from one of Maria Flores’s cousins. She assured him it was in good condition and that her cousin knew how to take care of cars. He accepted that and took it on her word alone. Michelle had recommended a reputable mechanic for Gail to have it inspected by afterwards, and he confirmed it was in excellent shape. He even updated the few worn parts to prevent their having potential breakdown problems. The foundation bought it and assigned it to Alex to conduct foundation business in.

Thus they were traveling in a little car just a little less uncomfortable than Alex’s previous car.

“I can just imagine what this car will feel like after a couple of thousand miles,” Gail complained. “And it’s hardly a secure car.”

“No car is secure if someone is after you, and every car is safe until something happens,” Alex answered simply. He’d made his decision and knew Gail would accept it. She may not appreciate riding in it, but she wouldn’t second guess him. She continued to grumble, but neither Alex nor his sister paid her much heed.

Alex had allowed Gail to drive after she’d argued she was both more familiar with city driving and with St. Louis. Besides, he wasn’t terribly impressed with the traffic at this hour, so having her drive allowed him to simply lean back and close his eyes. The trip to St. Louis took them a little more than three hours. They’d caught the end of the morning commute, but missed most of it since they’d arrived so late. However they learned what they were in for on their journey when Cate noticed a woman changing lanes to get behind them. Previously they’d always driven to St. Louis at night, so they hadn’t had to deal with many drivers. Cate, always full of ideas, grabbed some notebook paper and wrote “Follow Us” on it. Since no one had thought to bring tape she tried to attach it with saliva, which wasn’t great, but it lasted long enough for the car following them to see. Alex instructed Gail to take the next exit just as they entered East St. Louis and she offered no objection, simply knowing when he told her to do something there always seemed to be a reason for it, even if none of them knew it at the moment.

Pulling into the parking lot of an abandoned business, Gail put the car in idle but didn’t turn it off yet. Despite trusting Alex, she remained cautious, and if anything untoward might unfold she wanted to be sure she had an escape plan. However Alex was already unbuckling his seat belt.

“I think there’s another car following us as well,” Cate told them both. “It just pulled in behind the other one.”

Alex glanced back as he opened the door. Since he was already getting out Gail quickly shut the car off and put her arm across his chest, silently telling him to wait until she could prepare herself. She unbuckled herself, checked her Taser and can of mace in her breast pocket, that’s the reason why she always preferred men’s shirts, they contained handy pockets for putting things in just like her old police uniforms had. She also had a conceal carry permit for both Illinois and Missouri. In fact, she’d made arrangements with most of the states they planned to travel to, but she didn’t want to risk revealing a gun to someone they’d effectively asked to speak to. Thus she kept the gun hidden.

When she was ready she got out, quickly stepping aside so both Alex and Cate could while she watched over them.

Gail took in the two cars parked in the abandoned lot with them. The first held a young woman dressed in a business suit which didn’t look very good on her. She fretted with something in the seat beside her before getting out of the car. Gail didn’t have as clear a view of the car behind that one, but it appeared to have two figures arguing in it. She quietly took up a position to the side where she could observe and react to anyone approaching Alex. She signaled him he should let whoever might want to see him approach him themselves. Cate walked around the car to stand slightly behind her brother.

Amanda was ecstatic the car had waited patiently for her. She’d wanted to ensure that little Tyler wouldn’t fret too much while she was gone. She felt terrible leaving him in a car all alone, but she’d be nearby and she knew this was definitely an extenuating circumstance if there ever was one. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she climbed out of the car.

She observed three people waiting for her, but she hardly noticed the other two, the only one she had any eyes for was the central figure, a young man who looked just like a young kid, but who Amanda could tell was wise beyond his meager years. She quickly approached, then hesitated before reaching them and did a quick curtsy, something she’d learned as a young girl when she pretended to be a princess. She didn’t know what the proper protocol for a meeting like this was, but she felt they deserved some sort of formal meeting protocol. The young man before her simply motioned her forward.

She rose to her feet hesitantly. “Uh, excuse me, you don’t know me from Eve but—”

“Don’t worry. We’re used to being approached by now. We were expecting you, even though we never know quite when someone will show up. I’m Alex, by the way, these people with me are Gail, my personal watchdog, and my sister Cate. Now, you are... ?” he asked her, drawing out the end of the sentence.

“Oh, my name is Amanda Beckett. I’m delighted to meet you. I had this amazing feeling when I first saw you in the car ahead of me and—”

“Believe me, Amanda, he knows all about those feelings you had,” the young girl with him said. “Let me explain a little about what’s happening and about yourself while Alex says hello to our other guests.”

Amanda did as the young girl told her, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Alex even as he casually strolled away accompanied by the woman guarding him. Cate, the girl who had spoken to her, started to reveal an amazing amount of information to her.

“I don’t know what you think—” complained a somewhat stocky figure with short hair, slightly older than his companion, standing beside a larger car as both Alex and Gail approached it.

“I don’t care what you think you know, or what you feel. This is important, so shut the fuck up!” When the woman turned to face them, she saw the language she’d used with her boyfriend had been overheard so she blushed fiercely.

“I’m sorry you had to hear that,” she started to apologize, but Alex cut her off.

“Never mind. These meetings are never planned, so we never have any expectations for how they should occur. My name is Alex, this is Gail. If you don’t mind, she’ll stay here with your... , I’m guessing it’s a boyfriend?”

“Yeah, Stuart is my boyfriend. For the moment at least, though I have a feeling that’s going to change pretty quickly,” she added, shooting him a quick look. “My name is Nicole Mullins,” she added, flashing a smile and forgetting all about Stuart.

“Don’t worry about appearances, everyone is surprised by these encounters,” he told her as he took in her appearance. She was pretty, if a bit mousey, with almost shoulder length hair and little makeup. She was dressed appropriately for work, but her dress didn’t look especially nice. Alex didn’t judge her on that, though; after all, he’d just explained how these meetings always seemed to occur at odd occasions. He thought there would be an interesting story behind it, especially since the man she was with was dressed fairly well in a nice new suit.

“You’ll understand once we start to explain. Though you might want to consider just what you may want to tell Stuart as my sister Cate explains just what is going on.” With that Alex steered Nicole back to his car, where Cate was busy telling Amanda what she’d now need to know about her new life.

Amanda was a young thing with pretty brown curls and brown eyes. And she wasn’t one of these stick figures you frequently see either. She looked more natural than other girls somehow, dressed in a nice outfit which would fit in an office environment, and as always she beamed at Alex.

Amanda was on her way to a job interview, so Alex made sure they kept the discussions to a minimum, having Cate give them just as much information as she needed, with a warning for them to get in contact with the Angel Vision Foundation in Carbondale for more information. When they found out Amanda had left her son, Tyler, sitting alone in his car seat they insisted on checking on him. Amanda was pleased Tyler seemed to take to Alex so easily, although she wasn’t surprised to see he could relate so easily to her son. She hoped he’d grow up to be just a little like Alex seemed.

Stuart seemed to grow a bit agitated seeing everyone congregating around Amanda’s car.

“Don’t mind my soon to be ex,” Nicole told them. “Somehow you opened my eyes to what he’s been doing, and more importantly what I’ve become ... now I know what I need to do about it. And you did it without speaking a word to me.”

“That’s exactly what the Angel Vision Foundation is about,” Alex explained to her, “getting women to listen to their inner voices. You have access to a lot more information to guide you than you ever suspected. What’s more, it’s likely your family members also have the same abilities as you do.”

“Oh, geez, I guess you’re right. I need to contact my sister and mother and nieces about this.”

“Just try not to shock them. This is a lot of information to take in at once,” Alex cautioned her.

“Look, I don’t mean to intrude, Amanda,” Nicole said, intruding into their conversation, “but I heard you’re running late for a job interview. I think I’ve just decided to take the day off to take care of some unpleasant personal business. I’d be glad to watch your son for you while you check out that job. Then maybe we can both take some time off and visit Carbondale. I’ve never been there, but something tells me we may find a few things very interesting there.”

Alex, Cate and Gail soon said farewell to the new girls, letting them figure out how to tell everyone whatever they wanted about the encounter. Alex was sure he’d hear more about each of them soon.

The same sort of thing happened to them several times after that. It seemed the Watchers were hardly the shrinking violets they’d long assumed they were. Now it appeared they felt strongly about their feelings concerning Alex, but he’d never approached any of them like this before. Traveling during the early morning commute apparently made a significant difference, since they were encountering so many more people now. Cate simply gave them a business card for the Angel Vision Foundation and a pamphlet, before Alex told them to hurry in to work and to read the material at their leisure later. The women didn’t seem to be convinced, but the last thing Alex wanted was to cost any of them their jobs. Alex could just imagine what the next month or two were going to be like if they’d be running across this many people in just a single early morning drive.

Gail finally got them to her apartment, where Melissa met them and Gail gave her the keys and all the information she needed. Since Melissa’s apartment was smaller, she was officially moving in, in anticipation of Gail’s returning home after their little road trip. It was a little strange for a new relationship, but their relationship was hardly typical, and that was the deal they had worked out. Gail got her apartment and plants looked after while she was gone, and Melissa got a nicer apartment and a chance to ‘customize’ Gail’s apartment to her own desires.