by John Goode
“Hey,” I said, wondering if we were still fighting.
“Okay. So we both suck, so can we move past it?” she asked without any preamble.
I felt a weight come off my chest. “I am so down with that.”
I heard her laugh. “Awesome. So, no school! What are we going to do?” she asked.
I looked over at Hawk who was watching me intently while I talked into the cell. He was clearly studying the device, as if he was trying to figure out how it worked, what it did, if it was dangerous.
“Um. Something came up. Can we do something maybe later or tomorrow?” There was no way I could explain Hawk’s innate oddness without revealing he was from another world.
“Oh,” she said, trying to cover her disappointment. “Something bad?”
“Um… not bad, but I just need to take care of something.” I felt shitty for lying, but I couldn’t see any other way out.
“Okay, well give me a call when you’re free,” she said, sounding hopeful I would.
“I will, promise,” I said, hanging up. “Sorry,” I said to Hawk, tucking the phone away.
“That’s a tellyphone?” he asked in wonderment.
I forced myself not to laugh at the word. “Telephone,” I corrected him. “Yeah it’s called a cell.”
“As in prison?”
It took me a second to connect cell phone to a cell in a prison. “Same word, different meaning.”
He rolled his eyes as he went back to the dollar. “So this is currency for your realm?” I nodded. “And this man was a leader?” he asked, pointing the image of George Washington. Another nod. “He is a powerfully ugly man. He had to have seized power by some fortuitous means.”
Now I did burst out laughing since I always thought Washington was pretty ugly too. “He was a general,” I said, exhausting my knowledge of our first president in one sentence.
He handed the dollar back to me. “It seems a pretty flimsy means of currency. Vulnerable to flame, water, and easily torn.” It was obvious he did not think much of our money.
I shoved it in my pocket as I asked, “So what do you guys use?”
“Gold or gems preferably,” he answered as he looked at the menu for the concession stand. “What’s a Coke?”
“Sweet drink with carbonation,” I answered quickly. “Gold? Like solid gold?” I asked, amazed.
He nodded as we moved up closer to the counter. “Well, it’s mixed with small quantities of other metals to help strengthen it because gold is a soft metal, but it’s mostly gold, yes. Why does the corn pop?” he asked, looking back to me.
“Um, oil and something inside I think,” I said, trying to wrap my mind around the idea of having actual gold coins in my pocket. “How much does stuff cost in your world anyways?”
He shrugged as he peered into the candy case. “I don’t know. The royal family doesn’t pay for anything. Is that an actual finger of butter?”
I looked at the cashier. “One Coke, one bottled water, large popcorn, extra butter, and two hot dogs.”
His face paled. “They aren’t made of real dogs, are they?”
The look on his face made it impossible for me not to laugh. “No, just meat,” I assured him. “We don’t eat dogs in this country.”
He sighed. “But you eat fingers made out of butter?”
I looked at the cashier. “And put a Butterfinger on there too.” I looked at Hawk. “You’ll like it, trust me.”
He didn’t look convinced.
SPIKE PERCHED on the roof of a restaurant opposite the theater and watched them through the front windows.
He had followed them at a considerable distance. Distances, however, meant nothing to a creature that could possess bird eyes along with cat ears. The boy was poisoning the prince against him, and that was not going to do. Spike had risked everything to flee with Hawk, even if the boy had no idea of the cost to him. The Changeling knew he couldn’t go back to his world now, not after who he had betrayed. He’d made his choice, and at the time, he’d picked Hawk.
Yet Hawk only had eyes for the human.
He didn’t like the way the human made Hawk smile. He didn’t like how close together they stood. He didn’t like the way the prince’s body reacted to their proximity. Hawk’s pupils were larger, his heart rate was elevated, and he was giving off insane amounts of pheromones. Spike used the senses of the animals into which he could change to hear and smell and see everything as clearly as possible. Everything about Hawk told Spike that the prince was attracted to Kane.
As they walked further into the building a low growl issued from the Changeling’s throat. His talons began to bore holes into the stone ledge that he was perched on as he imagined the human’s neck in his grip.
KANE JUGGLED their food as they walked into the theater. Hawk kept picking at the popcorn, enjoying the salty butter immensely. “This is incredible!” he exclaimed a bit too loudly for a theater. The movie hadn’t started yet, but they still got a few glances.
In a lower voice Kane said, “I’m sure they have great food in your world too.”
Hawk nodded as he grabbed another handful of popcorn and said, “Not that common people can just walk up and buy. Nothing like this!”
Kane suddenly stopped in his tracks as Hawk bumped into him. The prince looked confused as he swallowed the popcorn. “What?”
“I’m one of those common people,” Kane said, his tone stern.
“I didn’t mean… I meant other…,” Hawk stammered.
“Is there a positive way to take being called one of the ‘common people’?” Kane asked.
Hawk looked chagrined as he saw the anger in Kane’s eyes. “I apologize.” He added in a very low voice, “I meant no offense.”
“I’m not offended,” Kane clarified. “I’m more upset that you think common people are somehow worse than everyone else.”
Hawk seemed to consider adding something but wisely decided to stay quiet.
Kane didn’t push the point as he continued to look for a seat. He decided on three rows from the front, which should give them a buffer from the few people who were watching the movie as well. Kane handed Hawk the bottle of water and a hot dog as they settled in. He watched Hawk sniff the meat for a couple of seconds before taking a hesitant bite. He nodded to himself and then took a bigger bite and then another. Kane chuckled; Hawk obviously liked his first hot dog. “And this isn’t dog, right?” he asked when he was halfway through.
Kane shrugged as he began eating his own. “I hope not.”
He almost burst out laughing at the look on Hawk’s face when he gave the hot dog a careful stare. The lights began to dim, and Kane settled in for the movie. “So what is this play about?” Hawk asked, still not whispering.
Kane whispered back. “It’s about a guy who goes to another world and ends up falling in love with a native.” He paused as he realized what had just fallen out of his mouth. “It’s just what was playing!” he added quickly. “It’s just a popular movie.” His words sounded lame, even to himself.
Hawk gave him a wry grin as he sat back and relaxed. “Well, at least it’s a believable tale.”
Kane was grateful for the darkness since it hid his blushing.
Chapter Eight
THE MOVIE was like nothing he had ever seen before.
The creatures on the screen vaguely resembled a cross between a water dweller and a werecat but were something different altogether. They communed with a great tree, which was fascinating to Hawk since he had never heard of anyone else that practiced it as well. He had been enraptured the entire time, caught up in the story as well as the majesty of the images. When the warrior’s brother ended up with the girl, Hawk had found tears rolling down his cheeks, unashamed, the emotion in his heart clearly expressed on his face.
Kane had seen the movie three times already, but seeing it through Hawk’s eyes changed it entirely. At one very suspenseful point during the movie, Hawk had taken Kane’s hand. Kane stared at their joined han
ds for a good ten minutes before he was able to concentrate on the movie again. He wasn’t about to let go of Hawk’s hand, and as the movie wound down, he noticed that Hawk didn’t make a move to release him either. At some point they made eye contact, and Hawk’s smile made his heart jump a few beats. Something happened on the screen, and his head turned back like he was a ten-year-old.
Kane knew he was falling hard for this guy.
When the movie was over, Hawk sat there, skimming the credits, and when it was clear nothing else was going to be shown, he turned to Kane. “Will they play it again?”
Kane nodded. The huge smile that spread across Hawk’s face was infectious. He looked around and then declared, “We will need more popped corn first!” They stood up and made their way to the lobby, still hand in hand. There were more people than the last showing, and the lobby was filling up. Kane had known they were still holding hands, but he suddenly became aware of the fact. And more aware that he had no desire to stop.
“Where are the facilities?” Hawk asked in a low voice.
“The bathroom?” Kane asked to clarify. He was shocked to see Hawk blush slightly at the word. Instead of answering he just nodded slightly. “Come on, that Coke went right through me.” He started to walk toward the restroom when he felt Hawk’s hand pull. He looked back and saw he was just standing there looking at him. “What?” he had to ask.
“You’re going with me?” Hawk asked in a horrified whisper.
“I have to use it also.”
“Together?” Hawk asked again, obviously far closer to aghast than to horrified.
Kane burst out laughing. “It’s a public restroom. No, not together but, yes, we share the room.”
Hawk didn’t say anything for almost a minute before managing to stutter. “I can wait.”
Kane rolled his eyes and pulled him into the bathroom, ignoring Hawk’s token resistance. Thankfully, the room was empty, so Kane maneuvered Hawk toward an open stall. “You use that, I’ll be out here.”
Hawk looked at him skeptically as he slowly closed the door. Kane moved to the nearest urinal and began to unzip his pants. Hawk’s voice sounded distressed when he called, “Um… what is this thing?”
Kane stopped and zipped his pants back up. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s water in here,” Hawk’s voice replied.
“It’s a toilet,” Kane said, not understanding the statement.
“Yes, but there is water in here. How does it work?”
Kane tried not to sigh as he leaned up against the stall. “I don’t understand,” he asked. “Haven’t you used the bathroom since you’ve been here?”
“I voided my bowels, yes,” he said, sounding embarrassed. “The house has a large back area.”
Kane remembered why he had hated going to the Renaissance Fair: no indoor plumbing.
“Ruber, please tell me you can explain a toilet to him? I have a feeling if I do he might have a stroke,” Kane asked hopefully.
“Of course. I live to serve,” the ruby answered in an acidic tone.
“I’m going to wait outside!” Kane called out.
“Please leave!” The panic in Hawk’s voice almost brought Kane to a halt; Hawk sounded really frightened. However, Ruber bobbed up over the top of the stall and shooed Kane away by making the gem lord’s equivalent of a pushing motion.
Kane went and stood guard outside the restroom.
SPIKE SAW the human come out of the room, and he couldn’t control the snarling growl that coiled from his chest.
The boy was smiling as if sharing a private joke with himself, and it infuriated him because he was sure the joke involved Hawk.
Spike had considered attempting the shift into human form so he could enter the building, but that was taking a greater risk than he was willing to make. His kind had the ability to assume various forms, but most of them came from mimicking smaller creatures from the animal kingdom. The subtleties of maintaining a human face while coordinating bipedal movement for long periods of time were draining enough to cause permanent damage to his shape-changing abilities.
But the thought was tempting.
He was wavering between two possibilities: letting caution fly to the wind and shifting into human form and walking into the theater to at the very least hear what they were talking about, or heading to the human’s house and destroying everything he treasured. Then he considered first destroying the house and then coming back to attack the boy, but he wasn’t sure how to distract the prince. Spike mulled all his possibilities to the point that he almost missed the plump girl walking by the front of the theater.
She would have been utterly forgettable to him if she hadn’t stopped in her tracks and openly gaped at the human standing by the door through which Hawk had gone. Spike checked twice to make sure they were looking at the same human. He could hear her mutter under her breath, “Taking care of something, my ass.” The Changeling wasn’t sure what her words meant, but he was paying rapt attention. She continued to stare, mumbling about “how could he lie to her like that” when Hawk walked out to join the boy.
“Oh that makes perfect sense,” she said a little more loudly, her voice obviously upset.
Spike began to understand. The girl had feelings for the human like he had for the prince. He wondered if she wanted to kill the human as much as he did? She stomped off, her fists clenched in rage.
Spike watched her take off and then turned his attention back to Hawk and his pet human.
HE CAME out of the bathroom looking three different kinds of embarrassed. He was so adorable I could have puked.
“So, everything okay?” I asked as diplomatically as I could.
He nodded almost imperceptibly, and now three kinds of embarrassment became four kinds of embarrassment. “Thank you,” he mumbled.
“I’ll be right back,” I said, quickly rushing past him into the bathroom.
HAWK WAITED for Kane to finish as he wandered around the lobby.
Though none of the people walking through were as attractive as the people in Arcadia, he could appreciate the quaintness of their way of life. It reminded him of the One World celebration, when people from every world made a pilgrimage to Arcadia to give thanks for the world’s continued existence. Dwarfs from
Djupur, a few strays from Aponiviso, and of course, a variety of others from all over. Hawk felt an ache of homesickness constrict his heart.
So far, he had tried not thinking about the fate of his parents, if they were even still alive, but the movie had opened a box of emotions in his heart that he was finding hard to close again. A small child stood at the counter buying what Kane had called “candy” with its mother, and that was the last straw. He felt his eyes begin to tear up, and he looked away quickly.
When Kane came out, he found the prince in the corner, trying to fight back his tears.
“What’s wrong?” Kane asked in a worried tone.
Hawk’s voice cracked as he choked out, “I want to go home.”
Without a thought, Kane just wrapped his arms around Hawk and held him as he cried.
I DIDN’T know why he was crying, but I could almost feel his pain.
He was fighting the emotion as best he could, but all that seemed to do was make it worse. I couldn’t imagine being stranded on another world, away from my dad and Jewel, all alone with no idea how I was going to get back. I knew for a fact it would suck in a very real way. He buried his face in my shirt as I moved him further back, away from the rest of the lobby. It was half not wanting to embarrass him more by having strangers see him break down and half I wasn’t sure I wanted people to see me hugging a guy.
Which was confusing as hell to me.
“Hey,” I said, trying to calm him down. “It’s okay. You’ll get home.”
“You don’t know that,” he said, his eyes red with tears.
It was true, I didn’t know that at all. But I wasn’t just saying it to make him feel better, I didn’t think for a second he wasn’
t going to get back. “No, I don’t, but I am willing to bet if there is something you truly want, there isn’t anything in the world… well, worlds, that can stop you.”
He wiped his eyes as he searched my face for sincerity. “You mean that?”
“You have the earring on,” I said with a grin. “You know I do.”
He smiled back, and it was like the sun coming out after a storm. “So when does the next play unthaw?”
I shook my head as I chuckled. “The next showing starts in like ten minutes,” I said.
“Excellent!” he said, standing up straighter. “I cannot wait to see what happens to the Jake and Neytiri.”
I paused. “Um, you do know it is the same story right?”
He nodded quickly. “Yes, I wish to know what happens next in the story.”
“Um… it’s just the same movie again,” I tried to explain. He just stared at me, obviously not getting it. “It is the same thing we just saw, not the next part. They have to go and make a sequel, and that will take years.” Another blank stare. “They have to build sets and write the script….”
He finally sighed and handed me the earring.
I repeated myself, and I would have killed to know how the magic earring translated the process of making a movie to him, but he nodded as if understanding. “Well then, that’s less exciting,” he said when I was done.
“We can go get actual food,” I offered.
He gave me a wary look. “The food we just ate wasn’t real?”
I let out a quick bark of laughter as I saw him get scared about the hot dog again.
“It was food, but I mean… oh come on!” I said, grabbing his arm and leading him outside.
“Just tell me it wasn’t really dog,” he said as we walked out the door.