“Come on—let’s go rescue him,” said Stella.
“He is kinda cute when he looks desperate,” she whispered to Stella, and then, as they approached Ford’s table, Mercury smiled at the women surrounding him. “Hi, I’m Mercury and this is Stella.”
The tallest of the four young women, who had straight blonde hair that reminded Mercury of Marcia Brady, gave her a tight-lipped smile. “Hiya, I’m Lenore, and these are my sorority sisters, Michelle, Katie and Bec.” She pointed to each in turn. “We were just asking Ford if he is going to the festival tonight.” The smile she aimed at Ford lost its tightness and became authentic.
“And I just told these young ladies that I will definitely be there with my friends,” said Ford. “These are two of my friends. There’s one more, but I don’t know where our Karen is.”
“Oh, I’m sure she’ll materialize before the festivities start,” said Stella. “Lenore, are you and your friends from Madras?”
“Yeah, we sure are. Born and raised here. We’re seniors at OSU in Bend.” Lenore’s smile faded. “Bend is, um, gone now. The only reason we weren’t at the sorority house and, um, dead is ’cause it’s spring break.”
“It’s very sad,” said Bec as the other girls nodded somberly. “Are you from around here?”
“No, we’re from Tulsa,” said Stella. “We came here for some backpacking over spring break. Ford is our guide.”
“Lucky you!” Lenore said. “Well, byeee. See ya at the festival tonight Ford. And, uh, you two also.”
Mercury and Stella sat across from Ford, who grinned at them. “Good morning! I’m really glad to see you two. When I was young, I used to think it would be great to be the only man on Themyscira, but I take it back. Maybe my teenage or twenty-something self would’ve liked it. My grown self feels a little like a piece of beef being led to slaughter, and those girls are way too young.”
“You’re a fan of Wonder Woman?” Mercury asked.
“Who’s not?” Ford said with a grin.
“Only soulless people and misogynist asshats,” said Stella.
“Oh, hey, quick question.” Mercury leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Did you move the gun from the main part of my backpack to the outside zip pocket?”
Ford’s eyes widened. “No. Absolutely not. Why?”
“Someone moved it. Last night. While we were showering and then eating.”
“So they know we’re armed,” said Stella.
“That’s why you’re carrying your backpack,” said Ford.
“Can I get you some coffee or something to eat?” asked a woman who approached their table with a smile. She was round and apple-cheeked, like she’d be a perfect Mrs. Claus.
The three of them instantly stopped their conversation. Mercury pointed at Ford’s tray, which was filled with half-eaten scrambled eggs and hash browns. “Actually, I’ll follow you to the kitchen if you have any more left of what he’s eating.”
“I believe we do. Come on back and I’ll load you up,” said the woman.
“That sounds great.” Mercury stood. “Stella, you want anything?”
“You can refill my coffee, but that’s it. I ate a couple hours ago. I’ll just sit here and protect Ford while you’re gone.”
“Muchas gracias,”he said with a wink to Stella.
Mercury was back in a few minutes with her plate filled with eggs, hash browns, and thick, bright red slices of fresh beefsteak tomatoes. “They said it’s lunchtime, but I lucked out ’cause they had hash browns and eggs left over from breakfast.” She salted a slice of brilliant red tomato and shoved it in her mouth, moaning in pleasure. After she swallowed, she said, “Y’all, these tomatoes are amazing.” Then she lowered her voice. “Before we leave I’m going to stick a few in my backpack. We gotta have some of these wherever we end up.”
Stella picked up one of the slices from Mercury’s plate and nibbled delicately. “I’m in total agreement with that.”
Mercury and Ford made fast work of breakfast, bussed their table, thanked the kitchen workers, and headed out the blue front doors of the school.
“Hey there!” A man who had been leaning against a black Tahoe SUV straightened and waved at them. “I’m here to shuttle newcomers to the courthouse. Hop in and I’ll give you a ride.”
“That’s okay,” Mercury said. “It’s such a beautiful day that we’ll walk.”
The man frowned. “Do you know your way around Madras?”