>>58149421
>“Didn’t pick up.”
>“Again.”
>Hal punctuated ‘again’ with the unmistakable hint of bitterness.
>The flash of resentment was enough to blacken his aura.
>”Not like she ever did. God forbid an emergency happens."
>He pushed the red hang-up button with more force than necessary.
>His ebony heart flecked away as worry bubbled up again.
>You weren’t in any position to judge.
>Not like you met her.
>Whatever happened between them was messier than you could imagine.
>He shoved the phone back into his hair before you moved again.
>You followed the same pattern as you moved across town.
>Pausing at water sources, restaurants, and behind grocery stores, you searched using aura.
>Hal combed the areas too.
>He knew full well his eyes weren’t as keen as what you were doing.
>But what father could stand around useless?
>Instead of thoroughly searching one area, your ethereal vision let you quickly move forward.
>Each time you sensed something on four legs, Hal bolted to check it out.
>Beneath his disguise, he sometimes hurried on all fours to move faster.
>Block after block, you moved forward.
>If Hal grew tired, he didn’t show it.
>He was focused.
>A far cry from the meeting in the junkyard.
>He had a chance.
>You felt the same.
>In fact, you felt fantastic.
>When had you last felt such purpose?
>Certainly not at work.
>How could one feel valued when you ultimately weren’t needed?
>Your little place in the company got on just fine without you.
>How many days had you woken up and thought about taking the day off for that very reason?
>You could do this forever.
>You were sure of it.
>Helping Hal amplified your already boundless energy.
>Knowing no one else could help like this fueled you.
>To think, you’d planned on training your aura today alone.
>There was a time and place for that, certainly.
>But here you were, honing your skills while being useful.
>That was worth more than any amount of money.