by Jack Wallen
Slowly, the realization dawned on Gorman and his eyes lit up. “Son, you are wise beyond your years.” Gorman nodded and smiled.
“Sir,”
“Yes, Scott?”
I wasn’t exactly sure what was about to happen…I was just letting the moment flow.
“I understand my life is no longer what it once was. I am a part of your world now. But I would ask that you allow me to return to my family and my life. I am certain I can live between both worlds. You have Ms. Middleton there to keep tabs on me.”
Gorman titled his head and smiled.
“I know more than you think,” I winked.
“I placed her in the school for educational purposes only. I wanted the best for our schools and thought we had a lot to learn in that arena.”
I laughed. “You picked the wrong school to spy on, sir.”
“Be that as it may,” Gorman said with a smile. “She has brought a great deal of important and positive change to our educational system.”
Sally sat down next to me and ran her fingers through my hair. I looked at Gorman. “I’m sorry, sir, but I don’t belong here. You’ve been very kind to me, but my life is elsewhere. If you would allow it, I would rather return to my family.”
Babbette stepped in and grabbed my hand. “Scott, that cannot be. You are now…”
“My daughter is correct,” her father interrupted. “You cannot be seen in public without your mask. The only place you are truly safe is Tyler’s End.”
Sally looked between me and the other ‘Kind.
“You can’t have him…at least not permanently. Scott’s right, he has a life; you can’t just take that away. Besides, if anyone could manage moving between two worlds, it’s him. He’s had to live with the persecution and scrutiny of others for as long as I’ve known him. He’s spent many years learning how to suppress and hide who he is. If you’re looking for the perfect secret agent to live among humans, you have him. But you can’t have him. I’m not through with him.”
Sally turned back to me and offered the slightest and warmest of smiles.
“Pappa,” Babbette stole everyone’s attention. I was expecting her to argue my point and demand I remain in Tyler’s End. What she said, took me by surprise. “He’s right. And you know that Timely and I have always wanted to attend another school. This would be the perfect chance for ‘Kind to truly integrate with the humans. We cannot, nor we should not, hide forever.”
Gorman stood, straightened his vest, and cleared his throat.
“I’ve worked diligently through the years to keep our people safe from the influence and rash behavior of the human race. Scott has shown me how wrong it is to base and pass judgment on ignorance. There is certainly much more to the human race than we once assumed.”
Gorman nodded and grunted under his breath. “I will grant your wishes Scott. Skorsdan will be released – though scrutinized at every juncture. And I will allow you free passage between your world and ours, so long as your true nature remain secreted away from the humans. If you break that trust, you will be stripped of your freedom to remain among them and forced to stay within the boundaries of Tyler’s End. Or worse, you’ll be stripped of your mask and made to survive among the humans, no better than a leper. You will follow the laws of our people and your society to the letter, or else I cannot promise your safety.”
I nodded, a bit wary of the threats, but certain of the choices made.
“Yes, sir.”
All of a sudden, my body insisted I fall back into the bed and out of consciousness. Everyone in the room understood and made their exit. As Sally reached the door, I called her back in. She returned to my side. The space between us was alive with energy. The nearer she came, the more powerful the connection. When her fingers reached out and graced the flesh of my hand, I thought for sure I would explode.
“You okay?” Sally’s voice brought immediate relief to the whole of me.
“I was wrong, Sally.”
Concern immediately drifted in and out of her eyes. “About what?”
“When I was dying, it wasn’t Gorman that brought me back…it was you. You were there with me, in my past, my present…my future.”
The act of speaking was draining what little energy I had. This was too important. Sally needed to know the truth.
“Sally, I was wrong that we could never…”
Tears welled up in Sally’s eyes.
“…that we could never be together. You’ve been my best friend since we were kids. It’s time I finally accepted the fact that there is so much more than just friendship between us.”
My own tears mingled with Sally’s on the sheet. I swallowed a grapefruit-sized lump down and took in a deep breath.
“I love you Sally.”
She nodded. “I know, Scott.”
“No you don’t, Sally. What I mean is…I’m in love with you. I have been for the longest time; I just didn’t realize it.”
A smile, meant for angels, painted Sally’s lips. I melted into the world around me. Those same lips met my own and, for the first time in my life, I felt my existence stretch beyond the realm of flesh and bone.
I felt grace take hold of my heart.
I felt as if my very breath were alive.
No more words were exchanged. The kiss alone wrote the finale of the moment. Sally tucked me into bed, kissed me once more, turned out the light, and left me in the darkness.
Slowly, I drifted off into a dream world that was, for the first time in my life, overshadowed by reality.
twenty-three | twice busted
I awoke the next morning to a breakfast suited for a kingdom of kings. When I first laid eyes on the spread, I was certain Gorman had invited the whole of Tyler’s End to the feast. I was wrong. One of the first lessons I learned, on my first full day of ‘Kind-dom, was that of appetite. The ‘Kind ate…and ate…and yet again, ate some more. Sitting at a table of this magnitude and glory made me wonder how the entire town of Tyler’s End didn’t suffer from morbid obesity…or grocery-induced poverty.
Along with that appetite for delicious destruction, the ‘Kind had a ravenous appetite for discussion. Meal-time talk was practically a sport. Any and all subjects were fair game, and nothing was taboo.
I sat next to Sally, holding her hand under the table. Every once in a while, between shoveling great heaps of food into my mouth, I would glance at her, only to catch her already watching me. We’d smile at one another, not say a word, and go back to stuffing our faces. She finally let out a laugh and said, “I called your mom and dad last night. I told them we were in the middle of a Twilight marathon and you fell asleep, so I figured you may as well stay over. She called you a Twi-hard and said it was fine.”
A mouthful of half-chewed pancake fell to my plate.
“You did not tell her we were watching Twilight. She would never have bought that.”
Sally unleashed a loud guffaw. “I can’t pull that kind of lie off. You’re right. I did tell her we were in the middle of a marathon…rom coms.”
This time it was Timely that laughed. Everyone stared her way and she shrugged. “What? Come on…rom coms? It was funny.”
Before anyone could say another word, the dining room door opened to reveal Skorsdan. Gorman immediately stood and, to my surprise, gestured for him to have a seat. When Skorsdan arrived at the table, our eyes met.
He nodded.
I smiled.
He sat…beside Babbette. Not a word was said; but he did smile at Babbette, who almost imperceptibly returned the smile.
Everyone caught the moment and laughed…but me. I cast a sideways glance to Sally who then whispered ‘Rom coms’ my way.
I smiled and nodded.
Before Gorman reseated himself, he looked down at all of us at the table.
“So, this coming Monday my two girls will be attending public school for the first time. I trust that the two of you will assist them in their acclimation? Remember, their…” Gorman hesitated and
looked to me. “…your true nature must never be discovered.”
“Understood sir,” Sally and I spoke in unison.
“I also want to invite you all to a celebration to be held in honor of the newest member of our family. Scott, you are the first. No ‘Kind has ever been created. We have all been a part of this society since the plague nearly stole our lives. We are never one to shy away from a ball and I would like to host one in your name.”
Gorman held up a glass; everyone followed suit.
“To Scott. May he bring new life to our people.”
Everyone held up their glass and, in a singular voice said ‘To Scott’.
Never in my life had I felt so connected…to others and to myself. That it took an entirely secreted race of people to help me find my true self spoke volumes about my life.
“Am I,” Sally started.
Gorman smiled Sally’s way. “We wouldn’t have it without you.”
“What’s the theme?” asked Timely. “Every ball must have a theme.”
“Metamorphosis,” shouted Timely, “we could go all wearing Kafstumes.”
The blank stares of everyone at the table met Timely.
“Oh come on,” Timely huffed. “Kafka costumes? Do I have to explain everything to you guys?”
We laughed…all of us. Gorman actually agreed to Timely’s theme and put his seal of approval for a ball this coming Friday.
Breakfast complete, we went our separate ways. Sally and I had to return home to keep the parents from calling one another only to find we pulled a blanket’s worth of wool over all their eyes.
Just before I stepped into Sally’s car, Babbette approached me. The smile on her face was warm and genuine. I dared a glance into her angelic eyes – those orbs of perfection that had once had me under a deep and dangerous spell.
“So…” I hesitated, unsure of what to say. “Are you and Skorsdan now…”
Babbette shook her head and smiled. “No. I can’t imagine that will ever happen. He has gone to great lengths to make amends, but I’m not ready to forgive him completely. Maybe in the future.”
She gazed at her shoes for a moment. When she spoke she didn’t bother to look up at me.
“I’m happy for you, Scott. You and Sally were meant for one another. And we are lucky to have you among us.”
Babbette leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “See you Monday?”
“Oh yeah,” I pulled from the kiss. “I almost forgot. You and Timely should meet me at my house Monday morning so we can all go to school together.”
“That’s a brilliant idea, Scott.”
I gave Babbette my address, returned her kiss, and got in the car. When I looked at Sally, she had her arms crossed and a wicked glare shot from her eyes.
The realization hit me like a bag of hammers across the face.
“I didn’t mean to…I mean…it meant nothing. It was just a friendly kiss on the cheek.”
Sally finally broke into a storm of laughs. “I’m just messing with you. Don’t worry, Scott. I’m not one of those girlfriends.”
And in the saying…it was made real. We stared at one another for a drawn-out minute, unsure what to say or where to lead the moment. I finally broke the silent spell.
“You’re only one kind of girlfriend.”
“Oh yeah, and what kind would that be?” Sally smiled.
“Mine.”
*
The car pulled up to the house.
Sally smiled at me. “I’ll be a gentleman.”
A smile took control of my face.
“This was worth the wait, Sally.”
“I always knew it would be.”
When we arrived at my house, we both out of the car and walked up to the front door together. I leaned in and kissed Sally’s perfect lips. When I pulled back, her eyes were still closed. The look on her face was the purest bliss.
“The first of many,” she said and then turned to walk back to her car.
I watched. I couldn’t help it. The hypnotic rhythm of her hips had me caught in a hormone-induced trance.
She turned back and said, “Finally.”
“Finally, what?”
“All these years we’ve known each other, this is the first time I’ve ever caught you watching me walk away. You like what you see?”
Busted.
“Very much.”
Sally turned back with a laugh and walked on a cloud back to her car.
I watched the car pull away. When it was out of sight, I turned back to the door and caught my reflection in one of the windows. My hand shot up to my face…my mask. My system flooded with paranoia. What if the mask dropped to the floor in front of my parents? What if they see who…or what…I’d become? Gorman gave me nothing in the way of instructions. I felt like an idiot, waiting this long before I realized how profound the change had been and how blending back into the world might not be as simple as I’d thought. I was so caught up in Sally, I’d failed to grasp the events that led to my personal evolution. Just like that, in the mere act of thinking Sally’s name, a peace flooded through my system. Everything would be okay. Sally loved me, believed in me – what more did I need?
With an inner strength I didn’t know I had, I opened the door to begin what some might consider a duplicitous life. Standing in the entryway, my parents beamed.
“It’s about damn time, Scott,” my dad said with pride.
“What?”
“Don’t you give us ‘what’,” mom added. “We saw you two kissing. We’ve been waiting for that moment since you were in junior high.”
Dad raised his hand for a high five. I blushed. My parents are open about everything so this was no surprise. Even though I was embarrassed beyond recognition, I realized just how ideal this situation was. Every high school kid would kill to have such amazingly cool parents.
These were mine.
Dad smirked. “Will I be inking her name on you anytime soon?”
That was a joke. Dad had a few rules at his shop – one was ‘no names’. He’d reached a point in his career where it didn’t matter who he had to turn away – his book was always full. So…no names.
I gave him his high five.
“That’s my son.”
“Want some breakfast?” Mom asked.
I laughed out loud. “No thanks, Mom. I’m going to go take a nap. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
Dad winked. “Oh yeah, rom-com marathon. I’m sure that’s what kept you up.”
Mom smacked dad. “Don!”
Dad lightly smacked mom back and mimicked her voice. “Marge.”
I rushed up the stairs to the sound of their laughter. The second my bedroom door was closed, my body was on the bed. The sleep of angels drifted over me gently and completely.
twenty-four | first piss, first kiss
Monday came fast and furious. There was almost too much to deal with at once. Not only was I about to re-enter my own high school a completely different creature, I was to help integrate two others like me. I felt like I’d somehow teleported into the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and was late for my first Scooby Gang meeting. Funny I would think that, now I have my own Willow.
Beyond the obvious high-school metaphors, what would I do if the mask slipped and someone saw the beast beneath? Did I know enough about Babbette and Timely to successfully blend them in? They could certainly hang out with me; but wouldn’t being seen with ‘Spooky’ do them more harm than good? And what about Cody Sloan? What happens when that hound dog of a bully sniffs the change in me…or gets the hots for Babbette or Timely? And what of Timely’s name? And mine and Sally’s newfound thing?
Relationship.
Boyfriend and girlfriend.
The very second I thought of it, Sally’s car pulled up and honked. I rushed out of the house and raced to her car. When she stepped out, I picked her up in an embrace and swung her around as if I hadn’t seen her in years…as if I weren’t in a downward spiral of ‘what ifs’ a
nd ‘what happens’.
“Are we really that couple?” Sally asked.
“Yes we are, my dear. Yes we are.”
We kissed again before Sally asked, “Where’s Babbette and Timely? Are you sure they know where your house is?”
I shrugged. “I gave them the address. Surely they…my people…have Google Maps.”
“My people?” Sally grimaced. “Don’t be that guy, Scott. You may as well drop a racial slur. Do ‘Kind have racial slurs? Would I call you that kind of person or kinder? Do you go to kindergarten when you’re young? And do we have a new meaning for killing someone with kindness?”
“Shoot me now,” I laughed.
“If, by shoot me now, you mean this…”
Sally wrapped her arms around my shoulders and, yet again, planted her warm lips onto mine. Just as I was about to come up for air, a car pulled up and honked. When I turned, Babbette was waving from the driver’s seat of an Aston Martin. I could feel my eyes bulging at what had to cost six figures.
“You’re kidding me,” I whispered just loud enough for Sally to hear.
“What?”
“That car probably cost more than I’ll ever see in my entire life.”
Babbette and Timely hopped out and raced to meet us at Sally’s Honda.
“I cannot tell you how excited I am,” Babbette squealed. “We’re attending a normal, public school.”
Babbette and Timely celebrated with an odd, out of place dance. It was the first time I’d ever witnessed anyone so excited to attend a public school.
I raised my hand. “Ummmmm…”
Babbette turned to me, her eyes bright.
“You can leave your car here and we’ll all drive together.”
We did. The trip to school was full of questions about classes, cliques, and competence. Timely’s curiosity about an in-class particle collider made me realize there was a new valedictorian in town. Not something I had to worry about.
Babbette did finally give me some much needed assurance.
“By now, your mask will only come off if you will it.”
“You mean I think it off and it’ll just fly from my face?”