Atlantis Rising: Chapter 2
The second chapter of the series.
Previous Chapter: Phoenix Rising: Chapter 1
Homepage: Atlantis
I've done some switching around of chapters, and a bit of off-line work, which brings this chapter into play.
Also see: Reaper's First Drop
23:04 Hours, December 9, 2012 (Military Calendar), a crowded bar, Miami, Florida.
Matt carefully aimed down the length of his weapon, all his attention focused on his target. Matt drew his weapon back, tensed, and rammed it home-
The white ball jumped forward with a satisfying crack, hit the solid blue, and sent it spinning towards the corner pocket. The blue ball bounced off the bumper and missed the pocket by an inch.
Jamie laughed. "It's okay, we all suck sometimes." And he stepped forward, aimed at a striped orange ball, drew back. And completely whiffed. The stick ripped through the air and smacked the side of the white ball, sending it spiraling into the side pocket.
"Scratch one!" Scar laughed. "Nice shooting, Jamie."
Matt looked at him. They stared at each other for a second, then Matt said, "Really?"
"Shutup." Jamie said, almost simultaneously, a grin developing on his face.
"Really?" Matt repeated.
"It's okay, Jamie, we all suck sometimes." Holly said. "My shot, right?"
"Yep. Don't whiff." Matt grinned.
"Choke!" Jamie coughed right as Holly took the shot. Holly's shot jumped into the air and almost scratched.
Matt stared at Holly in mock accusation.
Holly punched Jamie in the arm. "Hey, thanks."
"Ow." Jamie winced, rubbing his shoulder. Holly turned away, but Matt saw Jamie roll his eyes and grin behind her back. "Alright, Scar, show 'em how it's done."
The four of them were on winter vacation in Miami. Friends since forever. Scarlett Miller, known to the group as Scar, Holly Dayne, Jamie Campbell, and Matt Kenderson.
Scar lined up her shot, took it, wincing as it went before finally making it into the pocket.
"Yeah! Alright, Scar!" Jamie whooped.
Matt raised his eyebrows. "It's just a game of pool."
"That I happen to be beating you in," Jamie continued, immediately making Matt both annoyed and laughing.
"Don't get used to it." Matt muttered as Scar missed her next shot. Matt proceeded to demonstrate one of his semi-random bouts of extraordinary pool-shooting ability, knocking in five consecutive balls. He then completely whiffed on the last one.
"How do you manage to do that when you suck as badly as the rest of us?" Holly asked.
"What can I say? Must be a beast or something." Matt nodded sarcastically.
Matt leaned back on the wall, drained his coke, and stole Holly's.
Jamie made his shot, noticed Matt's growing stack of empty glasses, and said, "There he goes again. I swear, you go through coke like normal people go through water."
"Which I've only heard about half-a-million times, by the way."
"Truth's the truth, man." Jamie replied.
In the next two shots, Holly knocked in the last of the solids and then the black, winning the game.
"Hmm, sucks." Matt sighed. He looked up, and the look on Jamie's face was hilarious enough that Matt took a picture of it with his cellphone and texted it back to Jamie.
Jamie opened his phone and looked at the picture. "Very funny. You're a riot."
"I'm glad you appreciate it." Matt grinned, sliding his phone shut.
"Lemme see." Scar slid up and examined Jamie's phone. "Very cute." She informed him.
"No you didn't say it right," Holly smiled. "It goes, 's'cute.'"
"S'cute, then." Jamie said. "Anyways."
All four of them put their sticks up. Matt slipped on his sweatshirt and waited for the others at the door. They left the bar, and once on the street, Matt asked, "You guys wanna crash at my place again?"
"Yeah, sure. That was part of the deal." Jamie said, speaking for them all.
The four of them piled into Matt's Hybrid Prius, Matt being the only one yet with a driver's license. Holly and Scar hadn't gotten around to getting one yet, and Jamie had some kind of problem with his parents. Matt wasn't exactly sure. The Prius was an older car, but Matt's dad had amused himself with the various attempts Matt had thrown up at changing his dad's mind for his first car. Absolutely point blank, it wasn't going to be a new, expensive one.
Scar and Jamie looked at eachother, then both raced for the shotgun seat. Scar beat him this time.
"You got me this time." Jamie admitted as he took his hand off of hers, which had been on the handle first.
"Pff. What happened to chivalry?" Matt asked.
"Matt, there are a few things still left for you to learn. One of them is Calculus," At which Matt nodded, grimacing. "And the other is that chivalry becomes moot and void when in certain circumstances. One such circumstance is fighting for shotgun in a car."
"You'll have to teach me at a later date." Matt said, and powered up the car.
The fifteen minute drive to the outskirts of the city quickly brought them to Matt's parent's house in Miami. Located directly on the beach, it was a giant beach villa, fit specifically for leisure and recreation. Terra-cotta roof shingles went perfectly with the white-washed stucco walls and open-air courtyards, accented by large windows and graceful balconies. The house was built kind of like a fortress, with the garage at the front, directly connected to a courtyard that served as the front hall. A door led into the living room, and then the rest of the house was completely open, with very few walls, except where a grand staircase on one side rose into the assymetrical tower that held four bedrooms, three study/library rooms, and an aquarium.
After having parked the car, Matt walked through the courtyard and deposited his shoes near the archway, saying, "Alright guys, you know the drill. Shoes at the door, 'cause my parents'l kill me if they find a speck of dirt anywhere else in the place. Anyone up for a drink?" then hopped over the bar into the semi-modern kitchen. The rest of the crew slid onto barstools in front of one of the kitchen's two counters.
Matt opened the fridge, saying, "We've got Vanilla Coke, ginger ale, Dr. Pepper, you name it we got it."
"I'll have the usual." Jamie smirked as he leaned back on the stool. Matt slid him a Dr. Pepper and a ginger ale, then a plastic glass filled with ice. He grabbed a coke for Holly and Scar, a vanilla coke for himself, and put a bag of popcorn in the microwave, leaning against the counter and admiring the view past the now-open doors leading to another courtyard, with a pool and pool table, as well as a mini tiki-bar. Right past the sea-wall, down ten feet, was the beach, thirty feet of private sand, into the crash of the waves. Paradise.
Jamie swirled his ginger-ale-Dr. Pepper combination in his glass and took a sip. "I love this place. How about I just like move in?"
"Fine by me, but you'd have to secure permission from the higher authorities." Matt said.
"Yeaaahh I don't see that happening." Scar smiled.
Jamie shrugged. "It'd be fun, though."
