"Just the two of us?" Silas asked, surprised.
He'd assumed Missy Batalan would bring a few friends, but this was fine by him.
"Yup! Let's go!" Missy led Silas to the amusement park.
As soon as they arrived, Missy dragged him to the roller coaster.
"You're not scared of accidents on this thing?" Silas asked, impressed by her boldness.
Missy shook her head confidently. "Nope. A roller coaster's just a car, tracks, circuits, motors, and a control system. This one's a standard looping gravity coaster. The odds of an accident are, like, one in fifteen billion—lower, even. You're more likely to get hit by a car crossing the street."
Before Silas could respond, the roller coaster lurched into motion.
Sitting beside Missy, Silas stared ahead, dazed. Who am I? Where am I?
When the ride ended, Missy threw her hands up, grinning. "That was awesome! What'd you think, Silas?"
"Not bad," Silas said, smoothing his hair. He'd spent the entire ride mulling over Missy's pre-ride lecture.
"It's not lunchtime yet. Wanna keep going?" Missy checked her watch.
"Sure," Silas replied, snapping out of it. Compared to his studious brother Peter, Silas was a self-proclaimed slacker.
They stopped at a shooting range stall.
"Hey, pretty lady! Bring your boyfriend over for a few shots. The prizes are great!" the stall owner called, wiggling his eyebrows.
Missy didn't care about the prizes—her family had money—but the fun was irresistible. "Silas, wanna play?" she asked.
"I…" Silas hesitated, thinking it over.
"Come on, big guy! Win a surprise for your girlfriend!" the owner chimed in.
"Alright," Silas agreed. It was a perfect chance to win something for Missy.
"Five bucks for ten shots," the owner said, holding out his hand with a grin.
"Here." Missy handed over five dollars before Silas could.
The owner pocketed the cash. "Good luck!"
Silas frowned slightly. He'd wanted to pay since he planned to give Missy the prize, but now she'd covered it.
"No big deal. Just win me that big bear," Missy said, as if reading his mind, pointing to the largest prize—a teddy bear marked with number 39.
"You got it!" Silas loaded the toy gun, aimed at the distant bear, and focused. His finger pressed the trigger, and—Bang!
"Close! Almost got it. Keep going!" Missy cheered.
The shot hit number 38, right next to the bear. It was still good for a small prize.
"Nice try, kid," the owner said, lounging in his chair. He didn't care if they won—the prizes were cheap, leftovers from his friend's plush toy business.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Silas's next few shots were close but missed the mark. On his eighth shot, he finally hit number 39. The last two shots were casual, just for fun.
"Congrats, kid!" The owner handed over the prizes, including the massive teddy bear in a clear plastic bag, nearly five and a half feet tall.
Missy grabbed it, beaming. "Haha, it's mine!"
"Looks like it'll be tough to carry around while we play," Silas noted.
"I know." Missy pulled out her phone. "Come to my location."
Soon, two burly men in casual clothes appeared.
"Take these to the car," Missy instructed, handing over the prizes.
The men nodded, gathered the items, and left.
"They've been here the whole time?" Silas asked, surprised Missy had brought bodyguards.
"They were waiting outside. I called them today to carry stuff," Missy explained. She glanced at her watch. "It's getting late. Wanna grab food?"
"Sure, I'm starving. Skipped breakfast," Silas admitted.
"I know a great restaurant. Follow me!" Missy led the way.
They arrived at a restaurant and ordered a seafood platter and juice, then sat down.
"Silas, you into tech?" Missy asked, starting the conversation.
Silas propped his head on his hand. "I like it, but I'm no genius at it. Can't build stuff."
He'd once tried making a small robotic arm but failed spectacularly.
"You tried building something?" Missy leaned in, intrigued.
"Yeah, a robotic arm. Took me six months, but it wouldn't move right—just kept shaking," Silas said, sitting up.
"Sounds like a power system issue. It couldn't stabilize the arm," Missy suggested confidently.
"Maybe," Silas said, his lips twitching. He hadn't thought that deeply about it—just slapped parts together based on a blueprint and hoped for the best.
Their food arrived, and they ate while chatting. Missy tipped the waiter generously, and they left.
Evening
"Today was fun. Let's do it again sometime," Missy said, ready to part ways.
Silas nodded. "Sure. See ya."
"Bye!" Missy hopped into her car.
"Man, I'm beat," Silas muttered. It wasn't physical exhaustion but mental—Missy had talked his ear off about tech all day. Poor Silas, the slacker, was out of his depth.
Why talk tech with me? Go to the expo and find Peter, he thought wryly.
At Home
"Back already?" Aunt May asked, clearing the dinner table as she heard the door.
"How was your day, kid?" Uncle Ben set down his newspaper.
"Fun, but tiring," Silas replied.
"Good to get out. Oh, Peter's been looking for you," Ben said with a smile.
"He has?" Silas asked, curious.
"Want some food? There's pizza—I can heat it up," Aunt May offered.
"Thanks, May, but I'm stuffed. I'll head upstairs," Silas said gratefully.
"Alright," May replied.
Upstairs
"Peter, you wanted me?" Silas asked, opening Peter's door.
Peter spun around, excited. "Bro, you're back! You won't believe it—I used that camera you gave me and took some awesome photos at the expo today!"
"Nice, congrats," Silas said, genuinely happy for him.
"Thanks! Where'd you go today?" Peter asked.
Silas flopped onto Peter's bed. "Amusement park."
"Amusement park?! Man, you should've taken me!" Peter said, a little jealous. The expo was cool, but at their age, rides sounded way more fun.
"Yeah, right," Silas snorted. He wasn't about to let Peter tag along as a third wheel.
Now, Silas was waiting for the next tech expo—the one that would change everything.