THE MOMENT
Vanessa was pleasantly surprised to find the world was still in one piece when she woke up. She checked her tallies for the day as part of her bedtime ritual. She noticed the previous night that she'd crossed paths with someone capable of destroying the world. Unfortunately, her ability didn't give her much else for information. Just a title and a timestamp. As she went to bed, she decided she'd try and keep her ability active the next day; just in case.
As soon as Vanessa arrived at work, she remembered why she only checked her stats once a day. The diner was packed with the morning rush and her mind tingled with a constant flow of new information. Every breath and step she took triggered a distant 'ding' that only she could hear. Every new face she saw came with deep, vivid knowledge about the person. When her ability first developed, she almost went insane from all the input but she eventually learned how to turn it off. More experimentation over a decade and a half taught her how to manage the experience better. Though, this was going to be her first time trying to get through a shift with her ability active.
She clocked in and got right to work. The morning flew by as her tables were constantly refilled each time someone left. Despite her initial trepidation, she discovered that her ability could be useful in certain situations. She was able to suggest vegetarian and gluten-free options unprompted, thanks to her inside information. Many patrons appreciated it and showed it with their tips. And she was able to drown out and ignore some of the more useless information being fed into her mind. She was enjoying the practice so much that she forgot why she was using her abilities throughout the workday. But, she remembered the moment she heard the bell jingle over the door. The phrase "World Destroyer" filled her mind and she whirled around to see who came in.
Vanessa was surprised to see a young, pale girl with bright orange hair. She wouldn't have thought a girl like that could destroy the world, but she remembered the girl from the day before. She had no doubts the girl was the one from her daily tally. She sat in the same booth as the day before; it was one of Vanessa's tables.
"Two days in a row?" Vanessa asked with a smile as she reached the table. "One more and you'll be one of my regulars," she said. The girl smiled and laughed along with Vanessa.
"We'll see how today goes," the girl replied. "I was meeting someone yesterday that didn't show. Maybe she will this time."
"I hope she does!" Vanessa said. "Well, you know my name," Vanessa pointed at her nametag. "But, if you're gonna visit more often I should get yours."
"I'm Riot," the girl said.
"Well, Riot, ready to order, or are you going to wait?"
"Just an O.J. for now, I'll give her a few more minutes." Vanessa nodded.
"Comin' up," she returned to the kitchen and considered the situation. Part of her wanted to call someone to warn them; but, she didn't know who to call nor what to warn them about. There was someone capable of destroying the world sitting at one of her tables but she sat there yesterday too. She didn't seem to want to destroy the world and Vanessa did wake up on a planet that morning. As she filled the glass with juice, Vanessa decided to mind her own business until she couldn't. She had no idea why Riot was there, but she probably wasn't a danger.
Once that decision was made and the glass was full, Vanessa returned to Riot. As she left the kitchen, she idly wondered who or what a world-destroyer was meeting. The moment she stepped out into the dining area, she got her answer.
A pale girl with dark hair and a white face mask was sitting across from Riot. But, Vanessa froze and dropped the drink when the girl's information filled her mind. The shattering glass drew everyone's attention but Vanessa was focused on the girl and what she knew of her. She didn’t know what it meant, but the clarity of her insight made her soul shiver. Vanessa only heard one word in her mind: 'Error'.