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GrooveStomp's Gemini Capsule

James (Part 1)

"Where are you?"

James has the corner of his mattress suspended with one hand, the other searching underneath.

"I know it's here somewhere!"

He finds the bills and stuffs them in his back pocket.

He's wearing torn jean shorts and a plain white tee shirt. His hat is backward, off-kilter from the slapdash

way he put it on. His hair is short, like a buzz cut partially grown out.

The ice cream truck is audible outside, that old timey song playing too loud on repeat.

"See ya Mom, I'm getting some ice cream!" He says as he skips down the stairs, two or three at a time.

It's a picturesque sunny day today. Several of the lawns are overgrown with weeds, but some of them are almost perfect. In some spots you can see heat waves rippling above the street.

The streets themselves are surprisingly empty right now. There's a few of the younger kids looking out their windows at the truck.

"It looks like I'm early!" He thinks to himself.

Orange and blue.

Red, white and blue.

Purple and white.

Yellow.

The colors are always the most distinguishing feature. They're all shaped like various popular characters, but the facsimiles are poor.

"Purple!" He says, handing the money over. He has to wait a few seconds there while the driver ducks back to get the ice cream.

Just as the driver's back is turned, he sees, out of the corner of his eye, a police officer running full tilt.

As he turns his head to follow, the officer disappears behind a building.

His attention is pulled back as the ice cream truck driver tugs on the money.

"Th-thanks!" He says, getting the ice cream.

"You alright kid?" The truck driver says half-heartedly as the neighborhood kids begin swarming the truck.

The truck driver is quickly enveloped in a cacaphony of children shouting while James turns to where he saw the police officer.

James peels the wrapper off the ice cream, stuffing it into his other back pocket and he starts walking toward the building where he saw the police officer.

It's one of those new house constructions: plywood walls and flooring, support beams exposed and materials all

over the yard. It's quiet today for some reason. Him and Grace tried looking around there once before, but the guys

normally working there yelled at them to get out. They haven't been on the yard since.

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