I wrote this out once, only to have my laptop wiped by some virus :/ anyways different computer and I'm all done. Sorry for the crappy dialogue in the middle, it got late and I couldn't think of anything better to write and thought no update was worse than bad update. So yup, hope you like it, thank you to my two reviewers, they are very appreciated (can something be very appreciated, very much appreciated maybe?...meh) and I'm glad you think I can write Clyde well, maybe we're just very similar... or not. As ever reviews are nice :)
El x
Disclaimer (I forgot this twice): None of dis stuff is mine yeah, and I ain't never trying to say it is 'ite? Some like proper mint peeps 'ave like writted it and I is not even like saying I did writ it, you got me, so don't none of you go saying I is coz I ain't yeah?
"Hi Maria." Luke grinned down the phone.
"Hey Luke, how are you?" The voice that Luke had so longed to hear crackled down the phone, an American tinge even after such a short time.
"I'm fine thanks, how are you?" This was how all their conversations started, a formal habit that neither of them could break.
"I'm good thanks, err-"
"-I've got a while before I have to go to school and I was wondering if you wanted to go on web cam. Mum's got some new alien tech I want to show and you still haven't told me how New York was..." Luke petered to a stop as he got the distinct impression that Maria was somewhat distracted.
"Oh, wow, I'd love to see the new tech, and New York was amazing, I'll have to send you the photos, but-"
"-Come on Maria, we're gonna be late." The nasal American drawl startled Luke and he pulled the phone from his ear and blinked at it for a few seconds, as if he couldn't quite comprehend what he'd just heard. When he got over the shock he put the phone back to his ear in time to hear Maria giggling and saying to the disembodied voice, "Shh, I'll be there in a minute, I'm just talking to an old friend" aware that she hadn't heard from Luke in so many minutes she turned her attention back to him and asked, "Luke, are you still there?"
"Yeah, I'm here" he replied robotically, trying to come to terms with the fact he had been demoted to just an old friend.
"Sorry Luke, I'm just about to go to the cinema with some friends - we're going to see a new sci-fi, it's s'posed to be good, but I'll bet it'll be nothing compared to what we've seen," Luke could just imagine Maria winking conspiratorially and despite his addled state can't help but smile at the picture, "- anyway Jake's getting impatient so I've gotta go, but I'll speak to you soon yeah?"
Luke was so flummoxed by his sudden utter loathing for this Jake character; a completely irrational feeling as he'd never met him before, that he could only utter, "Yeah, ok then, have a good time."
"Thanks, I will, speak to you soon, bye."
"Bye Maria." Luke murmured to the dial tone.
There was a prickling sensation behind Luke's eyes and he felt both feverous and freezing at the same time, he wondered whether he was ill, but knew better than that. Normally when human feelings confused Luke he'd ask Mr Smith; like that time when he'd felt 'sick' – Mr Smith said even a superior beings stomach would churn after eating an entire 500g chocolate bar washed down with a bottle of coke, Clyde couldn't believe Luke had never felt sick before and had told him the only way to cure it was to keep eating – yet another occasion where Luke had scolded himself for forgetting the golden rule – never believe Clyde. This time however the pain was a different sort of pain, less simple than a protesting stomach and much deeper than he could explain to Mr Smith, or even his mum. He got the feeling that this was something he'd have to figure out on his own.
~*~
If Rani or Clyde noticed anything unusual about Luke's behaviour they didn't say anything. Instead Clyde spent the entire walk to school trying to learn his French verbs for a test. Or rather, he spent the entire walk amusing his friends by his abysmal pronunciation, and utter lack of knowledge of a single verb.
"Ok, Ok an easy one, what is the verb for 'to go'?"
"That is easy, I zink ze French zay would say, to goé."
"Clyde for the last time, you can't just stick an 'ay' on the end of it, come on you really need to not flunk this test." Though Rani was smiling as she said this, there was real concern in her voice, she knew as well as Clyde that for all the jokes and the fooling about, grades did mean something to him, and he wanted to do well.
"Alright, alright, one more."
"To eat,"
"I think that... je voudrais manger une hamburger!"
"Finally!" Rani laughed, "I should have known, nothing gets through that thick skull of yours like food."
"Yes," Clyde actually punched the air in his excitement, before returning to his role as the fool, putting on his appalling accent and continuing, "I will be le French man yet, and I will mange le baguettes and playé le accordion and kissé all of ze girls… Talking of girls, what does your girlfriend actually look like Luke, if we're s'posed to be looking out for her n'all?"
Luke, who had been trailing behind, looked up, dragged from his reverie and replied, "Err well she had long brown hair tied up in a high ponytail, brown eyes, small, slim, sort of pale looking, small feet-"
"Small feet?" Rani interrupted.
"Yeah," Luke answered hesitantly, worried he might have made 'one of those' mistakes again.
"How come you noticed her feet?"
"I just did, why wouldn't you notice someone's feet?"
"Coz they're on the ground , you don't exactly walk around looking at the ground do you," Clyde stopped and looked over his shoulder, where Luke had resumed his slow pace, his head lowered in thought, "I stand corrected."
Rani laughed and hooked her arm through Luke's, "Come on you, get out of there," she tapped him on the head, "and join us in the real world."
"Sorry." Look smiled apologetically, aware he'd neglected his friends.
"No worries mate," Clyde by this time had sidled over and slipped his arm in into Rani's, "with a brain that size, who wouldn't spend all their time lost in it.
There was a moment of silence as the friends thought slipped back into their own thoughts, which was broken when Rani said, "You know I really feel like we should be skipping and singing about how we're gonna find the wizard."
"Wizard, because…?" Luke asked.
"Nah Oz mate." Clyde replied and the three burst out laughing.
~*~
Luke finally found her at lunch. He'd had a further maths lesson and was on his way to find Clyde and Rani when he saw her, sat on a bench alone. Partly because his Mum wanted information and partly because he knew what it felt like to be out of your depth in a new school, he went and sat next to her.
"Hello again." Luke greeted her awkwardly, still finding socialising without Clyde difficult at best.
"Hello." The girl replied, which was, Luke thought, better than last time.
He paused unsure of what to ask next, when she spoke first, "Do you know where my father is?"
Luke was momentarily confused and then understood and replied, "Oh, is he one of the teacher's, what does he teach?"
"His name is Theodore Harlington." The girl stated, looking up at him with those huge round eyes.
"Mr Harlington, erm I'm not sure if I know him, I could take you to the staff-"
"Luke!" Clyde called at him from the end of the corridor and Luke waved him over, saying, "Hi, just give me one second," Luke paused, "Well actually it will be more than that but," he shook his head determined not to get distracted by another ambiguous saying.
He turned from Clyde and back to the girl, "Sorry about that, like I said I can take you-"
"Luke?" Clyde was looking at his friend with concern on his face, "look I know I never went over it, thought it was obvious to be honest, but talking to imaginary friends really ain't up there on the whole 'cool' list."
It was Luke's turn to look bemused, "What are you talking about Clyde, what's an imaginary friend?"
"Imaginary as in not there, as in you sat on a bench talking to yourself looks plain cuckoo, yeah?"
"But I'm not talking to no one I'm talking to," Luke lowered his voice and gestured subtly to the girl next to him, "the girl."
Clyde stopped and blinked, before peering round Luke and saying "Luke mate," fear now creeping into his voice, "there's no one there."
