Homecoming

Stanley woke up from sleeping as his alarm clock beep a sound. He immediately got up and looked at the calendar hanging from the wall near the door of his room. His house became empty as soon as Anna found an apartment nearby. Anna felt the need to find an apartment not to be a burden for Stanley. As much as Stanley wanted them to be with his side so that he could protect them, he let them be because he doesn't want to create anymore tension that would cause rapid existence of the tear.

Another day had past as he looked at the calendar. He looked at his wrist and saw the numbers gone by. He took a deep breath and exhaled what the pressure he has been feeling. He walked and touched an uneven tile from the wall that opened the basement where he kept working on the time capsule. He opened the lights that lit up the spacious room.

Metal scarps were scattered on the floor and massive tools can be seen in the room. He turned on the partially made time capsule and monitored its progress. He knew that was no near from finishing the time capsule in just a couple of weeks but his hope of finishing it didn't became detrimental.

He printed out the initial monitored results and closed the basement. Stanley read it along while going to the living room. He put down the results on the table and got some food to eat from the kitchen. He turned on the television and heard devastating news that caused his knees to weaken.

"The scientists of the world were baffled by the ongoing strange phenomenon on many parts of the world. Tsunami hit the east coast of Japan and The Continental Shift of the African happened on this very same day." Stanley heard the news anchor delivered the news.

They've shown clips of the waters of the ocean drown the east coast of Japan and diagnostics on the slight continental shift of the African Continent and for what Stanley remembered it shouldn't have happened on the time frame he was in. The catastrophes should've happened 10 years after where the world became prepared.

"What is happening to our world?! Is the end really near?!" The co-anchor enraged by what had happened.

Everything went inaudible for Stanley as he was really surprised of what had happened. It shook his core and made his body weak.

"What have I done?" He said to himself. He needed to act fast and make the time capsule to be done.

He stood up and looked at the calendar again. He counted the days he had left to complete the time capsule and destroy it. He noticed that the homecoming will going to be on Tuesday but he needed to work on the time capsule instead. In his head, he needed to be done at least 2 days before, but in his heart, he needed to ask Anna on what she felt about him. He wanted to ask her but he can't because of Anna's current state and the world at stake.

He closed his eyes and bumped his head lightly at the wall. The pressure took over his mind, driving him to think that there's no other hope. Tears flowed from his eyes to his face and down to the ground. A series of event rushed through his mind and he opened his eyes, back to the present. He took a couple of deep breaths and exhale the pressure he has been feeling.

He came into a thought that if it didn't work he might've as well asked Anna for once and spent time with her. He wanted to protect her as much as possible but every time that they've been together all seems to be clashing. All the things that shouldn't have happen, happened.

He rushed through his closet and found his tuxedo. He brushed off some dust in the tuxedo and hurriedly got out of his house to go to a laundry shop across the street and have his tuxedo cleaned. He crossed the street as the light turned green. He walked a couple of blocks down the street and arrived at the laundry shop, there he saw Anna. The two surprised seeing each other. Anna can be seen that she was delighted to see Stanley.

"Oh! Stanley you also do laundry here?" Anna walked near in front of Stanley.

"Uh.. no, I'm just going to do dry clean this." Stanley pointed out his tuxedo.

Stanley faced on the counter immediately that left Anna confused all of the sudden.

"D-dry clean please." Stanley stuttered, words became obsolete from his mouth.

Silence accompanied them for a few seconds until Stanley broke the ice.

"Let's sit there." Stanley pointed at the empty bench.

"O-okay." Anna said.

The two sat together in the bench. The bench felt so wide as they haven't spoken to each other for the meanwhile.

"Tuxedo." Anna said while looking at her foot.

"Homecoming?" Anna looked and asked Stanley.

"Y-yeah. I'm not sure if I would show up though." Stanley told Anna while looking at the clothes being tossed at a washing machine.

"Why?" Anna asked Stanley on what's the reason he was unsure on showing up at the event.

"Um—I—I don't have a date yet." Stanley said without looking at Anna.

It became awkward for them to speak because of the silence again. Stanley massaged his right of the shoulder as he felt the pressure of asking Anna considering her situation.

"How are you?" Stanley asked Anna, pertaining to her counselling.

"I'm starting to be fine and luckily think right." Anna playfully said.

Her counselling session has been helping her to tone down her thoughts caused by trauma.

"It's actually my last day counselling and by maybe, Monday, I can go back to school." Anna added.

Stanley was relieved as he saw Anna smiled without a paint of the trauma anymore, just a bright smile. An awkward silence then came. Stanley thought about it and words then got out of his mouth.

"Do- uh nevermind." Stanley shrugged off what he was about to say.

"What?" Anna asked Stanley as she didn't heard him.

"Do-do you want—to be my—date this Monday night?" Stanley stuttered.

He thought he can say those words straight as he's technically a 40 year old man but it turned out that his 24 year old self took over.

"Uhh.." Anna thought about what Stanley said for a long time.

"I.. I think I can." Anna said to Stanley.

"R—really?" Stanley asked Anna as he can't believe Anna would say yes.

"Yeah." Anna said confirming that she would be Stanley's date for the homecoming.

Anna smiled as she saw how Stanley was controlling himself.

The dryer stopped and Anna stood up to get her laundry.

"I—I can help you." Stanley rushed and offered a help Anna on get her laundry.

"No- no please. I can do it myself." Anna said to Stanley.

Stanley nodded and just sat back at the bench and waited. As soon as Anna was finished Stanley stood up and offered help to carry the laundry.

"I'll carry it for you." Stanley offered to help Anna.

"Thank you." Anna said to Stanley as he carried her laundry.

They walked down the street and just a few blocks Anna insisted on carrying the laundry herself.

"Um.. I think I can do it from here." Anna told Stanley.

"Oh- okay." Stanley dropped down the bucket and as much as he wanted to help Anna, he doesn't want her to feel that she isn't capable of doing things just because she had counselling sessions.

"Thank you again, I'm gonna go now. See you." Anna told Stanley and smiled.

"Uh.. Sure. I'll pick you up tomorrow at seven." Stanley told Anna.

Tuesday night went and homecoming was just a few hours later. Stanley got his tuxedo from the laundry and he was just staring at the mirror, checking if there's no speck of dust. He exhaled and thought of how this night hopefully would turn out right and not on turn out just like how he was feeling. He was feeling a little different. Different that not one word could describe it.

"Just enjoy the night." Stanley told to himself.

He made sure to lock every door possible and managed to get in his car. He looked at the time and he counted off that it would take him 10 minutes to be at Anna's apartment.

Along the way while driving through the empty street, Stanley saw a person crossed the street that he immediately stepped on the break. It flashed through his eyes, a person's silhouette standing in a dark alley. The person was looking at him as his silhouette faced on the direction where Stanley was.

He set his watch to offense just like how Russel told him. He was about to get out of the car when the silhouette faded in mere second. It couldn't be 00031 but he had a hunch that it was 00048, the shape shifter combatant.

He immediately drove the car and got to Anna's apartment. He felt nervous in many ways but he doesn't want to ruin the night for Anna. He shrugged off what he was thinking and pressed the doorbell on Anna's apartment. Stanley heard the door opened and saw Anna. Anna was in a simple velvet purple gown but her beauty outshined the dress that made Stanley at her face for long time.

"You-you look beautiful." Stanley told Anna. Stanley's eyes said how he was captivated by her.

"You look dashing." Anna complimented Stanley.

The two of them were looking at each other for so long that Cedric, Anna's brother, told them off.

"Are you gonna go or just gonna stare at each other?" Cedric said.

"Oh—yeah. Um—" Stanley was lost in words and just opened the car door.

"Thank you." Anna said to Stanley.

"Anna, enjoy the night and forget the curfew hour." Anna's landlady said while holding Cedric.

"Thank you for looking out at Cedric for me tonight Mrs. Musk." Anna said and hugged Cedric.

"Young man, take good care of her tonight." Mrs. Musk told Stanley.

"I will Mrs. Musk." Stanley said.

Stanley drove off and managed to arrive at the school on time. As soon as they enter the school gym, music was loud that it felt like something was banging into their ears. Stanley and Anna then saw Max.

"Max!" Anna shouted.

Max luckily heard them and greeted them.

"So you two are each other's date?" Max asked them.

"Well, yes." Anna said and smiled at Stanley.

"Oh, wait. Amanda!" Max shouted and a woman turned around.

Max introduced Amanda to them as her girlfriend. Stanley and Anna were happy for Max and out of the blue the sound went slow.

"Dance with your partners!" The emcee said to the students.

Stanley and Anna looked at each other and smiled. Max elbowed Stanley with his puckered lips pointing at Anna.

"I guess we have no choice, then." Stanley told to Anna.

"May I have this dance?" Stanley asked Anna and pulled out his hand from his pocket.

Anna accepted Stanley's request as she put her right hand unto Stanley's hand.

All people were dancing with their date for the night. It felt magical for Stanley and Anna. Looking each other was the other thing they could do other than dancing.

"Your eyes have green on them." Anna told Stanley as she had the chance to look at them closely.

"Well, your—" Stanley stopped talking as they felt something.

Everyone stopped dancing as they felt the ground was somewhat shaking.

"Did you feel that?" Amanda asked Max.

Stanley looked at the fruit punch at the table and saw how it moved.

"Earthquake!" One student exclaimed from fear.

The ground began shaking intensely that all of the people fall down from standing. All was panicking to get out of the gym. People began to feel dizzy and some passed out already. Stanley looked at Anna and he saw how she felt dizzy.

"Everyone! Get out of the gym!" The teacher shouted.

It was intense that some of the people can't stand and the only way was to crawl as fast as they can before the gym collapsed.

Max and Amanda managed to get out but Stanley and Anna remained on the floor.

Stanley was struggling on keeping his balance but he needed to save Anna as fast as he can.

"Anna? Wake up! Anna?" Stanley tried to pat Anna's cheek for to gain consciousness nut he failed.

The foundation started to become loose and Stanley felt the cement turn into powder started to fall. He put his coat on Anna's head and carried her out of the gym. He tried maintain balance but he started lose his consciousness just a few inches from the exit of the gym.

"Help!" Stanley managed to shout help as he looked back at people crawling their way out.