'JUST THINK OF IT AS LEAVING EARLY TO AVOID THE RUSH.'
In which an angel, a demon, and their adoptive daughter decide to stop Armageddon. Except it's days away, they've lost the antichrist, Heaven and Hell are both breathing down their necks, and th...
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Freddie has always enjoyed feeding the ducks, especially when everything else is out of her control.
***
Freddie fiddled with the straps of her backpack, speed-walking towards the bus stop, a few blocks away from the bookshop. She needed to get some fresh air, to put some distance between herself and the suffocating pressure of stopping Armageddon.
"Why, Freddie Fell, is that you?" Called a cheery, familiar voice, stopping Freddie in her tracks.
"Maggie!" She exclaimed, with more honest joy than she had felt all morning. Maggie was the blonde woman who ran the records store across the way, renting the space from Aziraphale. She was also a genuinely nice person, a loyal friend, and one of Freddie's favorite babysitters.
"Oh, Freddie, it's so good to see you!" Maggie came dashing over to the teenager's side. "How have you been?"
"I'm okay. What about you?"
Maggie brushed an errant lock of blonde hair out of her face. "Oh, quite busy, but good, thank you. I just finished organizing my newest shipment, and it was a big one."
"I'll have to swing by and check it out soon," Freddie said. Provided the world doesn't end, of course. "What are you up to now?"
"Oh, just catching the bus. I'm meeting up with a friend for lunch."
"Is that the bus to St. James Park?"
"Yes, the restaurant I'm heading to is just past it," Maggie answered.
Freddie smiled, a real, honest smile. "I'm catching that bus too. Want to sit together?"
"Sure thing," Maggie said. "Are you going to the park, or-"
"I'm going to feed the ducks," Freddie confirmed. "I just... It's been a long few days, and I could use the fresh air."
Maggie nodded sagely. "I get that. Have things been bustling at the bookshop, then?"
"Definitely," Freddie said. Her voice was wry. "Pops ended up in possession of a very rare book and it's a whole thing, really."
"I see," said Maggie, though she didn't, not really. She couldn't possibly know the truth - the end was near and Freddie's faith was wavering. "Is it another one of those misprint Bibles he keeps getting his hands on somehow?"
"Um... yeah. Sort of, anyways."
They reached the bus stop just as said bus was pulling in, and quickly made their way onto a seat in the back. Maggie graciously allowed Freddie to take the window seat, and the girl did just that. She shot a grateful look at her friend as she leaned her head back against the red foam and plastic.
