A/N: Okay, what's up with the review system? I'm not going to get all hissy on everyone, but please, if you read the story please review it. I love constructive criticism, and of course compliments, if my story deserves them, are always nice, but if you flame I will track you down and eat you. If you don't like the story, well, then, why the heck are you reading it? Don't say random junk like, "I hate it", because you're not offering me any advice or telling me why you hate it. Every writer likes reviews, and come on, this story has ten chapters and FREAKING NINE REVIEWS!! Honestly, I see fics with six chaps and around 15 reviews, and I update this pretty often!
Okay, ranting's over. I am really proud that City Slickers has made it so far, and I'll stick with it to the end, unless I decide to rewrite it. Surprise: Calvin sings karaoke. Be sure to stick around for the sequel, folks, introducing two more main characters and a suspense plot.
Chapter Ten: A New Beginning or Time of Your Life
Calvin gaped at the massive airport. Hobbes admired a tiger painting on the west wall. "We're here, Hobbes! I can't believe it! Now mom and dad will never catch us!"
"Mmm-hmm."
"And look"—Calvin stared out the window—"They have massive skyscrapers, and a whole buncha deserted buildings! I gotta say, this is gonna be paradise!"
"Mmm-hmm."
Calvin grabbed Hobbes and shook him, then screamed in his ear, "ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME??!!"
Hobbes thought for a moment, and said, "I'd have to say no." Calvin slapped his forehead. "Never mind. Let's get our luggage and get out of here."
The two walked down to the baggage pickup and quickly retrieved theirs. Calvin waved a taxi, thinking of Lucas with a sigh, and soon they were on their way.
"Where to, sir?" asked the driver. Calvin thought. "What's the fanciest hotel this side of town?" "That would be the Heaven-on-Earth Condos, sir. Pool, spa, free room service for any room above $150 a night, and satellite TV in every room." "Excellent. Take us there."
The hotel was about 60 stories high and towered above most buildings. Calvin's mouth dropped open and he had to close it with his fist. The driver dropped them off and a doorman opened the door for them.
The inside was even more magnificent. There were potted plants, ornate sculptures and wall designs, but what interested the kid and tiger the most was the arrow that said, "Arcade" pointing off to their right. Calvin walked up to the manager at the desk and said cheerfully, "Hello, I'd like a room for a night." The manager looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, what room would you like?" "What's the best?"
The manager thought. "You might like the penthouse suite." "What's it got?" "King bed, a mini-bar and fridge, power shower, Jacuzzi, deck with barbecue, and free room service." Calvin's eyes grew bigger than dinner plates and he said very quickly, "We'lltakeit", dug out some money and shoved it into the manager's mouth, and then zoomed into the elevator. The manager shrugged and tossed the key into the elevator. Calvin yelled, "Thanks!" before the doors closed.
Hobbes felt the floor of the elevator. "Whoa, it's carpeted! This place is classy!" "I'll say! The buttons are lined with velvet!" When they reached the penthouse suite, they collapsed on the king bed. "One thing we've got to do is get a camera. Then we can take pictures of our first life in Pittsburgh." "Good thinking. Hey, look, the mini-bar has everything: Sprite, every type of Coca Cola and Coke, every type of Pepsi, Mr. Pibb, Squirt, Fanta, Mug Root Beer, a heck of a lot of lemonade…." "And the fridge! Three different things of ice cream, lotsa cheese, meat, eggs…." "And over here's a cookbook! Excellent!"
Once they had finished staring at the food, they went into the Jacuzzi and then each took turns in the power shower. Once they had dried off, Calvin grinned at Hobbes. "You know, this being our first night in our new city, I think we should celebrate. A night out on the town, I'm thinking." He slapped Hobbes on the back and spread his other arm wide. "Think of it! A night full of possibilities! We'll eat at the fanciest restaurants, dance at the greatest clubs"—"I think we can't go in clubs. They're for adults" interrupted Hobbes. "Whatever" continued Calvin, "then we'll go to a kids-friendly dance club, and we'll go to three movies in a row, sing karaoke in some place, buy dark clothes and sunglasses, and OWN 'So You Think You Can Dance?'!"
Hobbes raised his eyebrows. "Okay, okay, cancel the last one. Meanie."
They dropped off their key at the front desk, stepped out into the darkening sky, and took a deep breath of night air. "Okay, first off: grub!" Calvin signaled another taxi and said, "What do you recommend for a picky appetite but fine cuisine?" "Hmm…do you like seafood?" Hobbes gave Calvin a thumbs-up. "Yes, I do." "Then I would go to the Dancing Crab. Very well made and delicious food. But expensive."
At a red light, the driver looked back at Calvin. "I hope you've got some money, kid." Calvin pulled out a few $500 bills. "I'm all set."
The Dancing Crab was a light-hearted restaurant with Caribbean music playing in the background and pleasant chatter in the multiple rooms.
Calvin and Hobbes seated themselves at a booth and a waitress with white shirt, black pants, and a black apron walked over. "Hello, welcome to the Dancing Crab. Would you like something to drink?" "A Coke, please" said Calvin. He turned to Hobbes, who knew that the waitress wouldn't be able to hear him. "A Sprite." Calvin turned back to the waitress. "And a Sprite." "Small or medium?" "You got large?" "A large Coke and Sprite for now, then. Here is your menu."
Calvin looked at the menu and opened it. "Hmm….the shellfish soup looks good…yeah. Here, Hobbes." Hobbes scanned it and decided on the grilled tuna with a side of clam chowder. They ordered when the waitress came back with their drinks. Calvin slurped his Coke and told Hobbes, "I think we should get the clothes next. Then when we go into a karaoke club, we'll look totally awesome." Hobbes nodded and stabbed a slab of tuna. "You know, I've been thinking, Calvin, and I wonder if we're doing the right thing."
Calvin stared at him. "What do you mean?" "I mean running away. Sure, cleaning your room sucks, but if you had just done it, we could be happily watching TV at our house instead of—" "Watching TV in a fancy hotel room" Calvin interrupted. "Hobbes, back there I had to go to school, avoid Susie, and we had to go on dad's crazy jaunts onto an island in the middle of nowhere that he calls 'vacations'." "You have a point there."
Calvin patted Hobbes' hand. "Listen, buddy, what would make you feel better?" Hobbes thought for a moment, and then said, "Three pounds of strawberry macadamia nut ice cream." Calvin wrinkled his nose. "Ew, you actually like that stuff?" Hobbes shrugged and said cheerfully, "More for me."
They ordered their dessert, ate it, and then left. Calvin looked around for a tailor, and soon found one on a street corner. He walked in with Hobbes and they looked around at the clothes examples. A man strode up to Calvin and said smoothly, "Hello, can I help you?" "Yeah, we're looking for a good design, made just for us." The man's eyebrows rose, and Calvin rolled his eyes. "My tiger Hobbes, and me." "Right you are, sir. Come with me."
Calvin and Hobbes were led into a back room. They were measured in all sorts of places, and then they had to wait for a while as the fabric was made into their suits. They read some comic books that Calvin had bought while they waited, and after an hour their names were called. Calvin and Hobbes stuffed the comic books into their bags as they rushed into the back room.
They were given the clothes and went into the bathroom to change. Calvin walked out and so did Hobbes. They looked at each other.
Calvin looked like a mini James Bond in a tux. His blond spiky hair contrasted well with the dark, large sunglasses and the shoes fit him perfectly. The pants came down to the shoes and the shirt's sleeves came to his wrist, not going over the hand at all.
Hobbes' fur on the top of his head was spiked up with gel, and he was wearing black leather gloves, but otherwise he looked the same. They were also given black leather jackets.
Calvin handed over $300 and they walked out the door. Some people passing my stared at him, and he waved back. "Look, Hobbes, we've got fans!" "I feel like I'm at a wedding" replied Hobbes. "Why do I wear these gloves, again?" "Because it's cool, that's why."
Calvin waved a taxi and said, "To a kids-friendly dance club, my good man." "Right-o." It was almost completely dark outside now, and the stars and moon were rising. The taxi stopped at a red light, and looked back at his passengers. "Whoa, kid…" Calvin looked down at his tux. "What?" "That's some pretty fancy clothes, kid." "Oh. Thanks."
The dance club was large and had a disco ball, with a karaoke machine. A guy had just finished a rap when Calvin and Hobbes pushed open the door and walked in. Hardly anybody looked at them, and those who did glanced at them for only a second. But then they did a double take and gaped at the fancy-dressed pair. Calvin grinned and waved, occasionally lowering his glasses, and pushed his way to the front. He walked up on stage and Hobbes began "What?..." Calvin smiled. "You'll see."
Calvin walked up to the song player and said something, the guy nodded, and Calvin positioned himself in front of the microphone. He straightened his tie as the words "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" and "Green Day" flashed up on the screen. He grabbed the microphone and tapped his foot as the music started.
"Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road. Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go. So make the best off this task, and don't ask why; it's not a question but a lesson learned in time."
Hobbes smiled as Calvin turned to look at him amid the cheers of the crowd. The kid had a great voice.
"It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right; I hope you had the time of your life."
The tiger put two and two together and realized what Calvin was telling him. He understood, and knew.
"So take the photographs and still-frames in your mind, hang it on a shelf in good health and good times. Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial: for what it's worth it was worth all the while."
They had left Missouri, had left their entire past life behind. There was no turning back, and though he was uncertain, in the end they would meet their fate as it was. They were in a new state, and a new life. Hobbes almost laughed out loud, cried, and cheered at the same time. He almost heard Calvin say, "Sissy."
"It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right; I hope you had the time of your life."
Calvin did a little dance number during the pause from lyrics, and the crowd roared with approval. He bowed to them before singing again.
"It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right; I hope you had the time of your life."
Hobbes clapped and cheered louder than he had ever done before (he hadn't been brought to many rock concerts) as the song drew to a close.
"It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right; I hope you had the time of your life."
The crowd absolutely loved Calvin, and some begged him to come back. He nodded lazily as he walked over to Hobbes, and looked up at his tiger. "That was…beautiful."
Calvin snorted. "Sissy." Ah, déjà vu.
They hailed a taxi and went back to the hotel. They read comics for a while, and then fell asleep.
The next morning, Calvin and Hobbes awoke, packed their bags, and were just about to check out of the hotel when Calvin got a call on his UltraPhone.
"Yello?" "Hello, am I speaking to Mr. Icaron?" "I'm Calvin." "Yes, you. Hey, kid, do you have an address?" "Not yet, but we'll have one by tomorrow." "What area of the city?" "Umm….let's see…."
Calvin looked up the city section on his phone, and saw that they were in the SW area. "Southwest." "Kay. Call me when you can."
They hopped a bus and got out by an alleyway. Calvin looked up the place on his phone and read the description out loud. "First right: Old office building. Second right: Abandoned library/bookstore. Third right: Former apartment building. First left: office building. Second left: office building. Third left: abandoned movie rental store."
They looked through the left buildings first. The walls were crawling with bugs ("Cool!" yelled Calvin as he stuffed some bugs in his pocket), and there wasn't anything remotely interesting about them, except for the movie rental store. Calvin and Hobbes' eyes bugged out and their jaws dropped when they looked in there.
The walls were still stocked with a whole bunch of good movies. Calvin clicked on the abandoned movie rental store and read a more detailed description. "Left in 2007. Two floors. Still in pristine condition." His face lit up. "Hobbes, this could be our home!" "Maybe" said Hobbes, looking thoughtful. "Let's just check out the others first."
The office and apartment buildings were dull, and Calvin was about to skip the library but Hobbes tugged on his shirt. "Come on, I wanna look inside." "Hobbes, you dipwad, there's only old moldy books and rotting walls in there" Calvin snorted. "But fine" he added.
Hobbes pushed open the door with a loud creak and looked around. "Calvin" he whispered. "What?" Calvin poked his head in.
The walls and shelves were clean and stocked with books. It was warm, like there was a heater in there, and in the corner there was a computer, and it was on. They could hear the whirring.
"Hobbes" Calvin whispered. "Somebody, or something, is living in here."
"I believe you're looking for me."
They whipped around and stared at a desk where a person sat, reading a book.
"My name's Myrrthe."
Her hair was almost white, her clothes were not ragged like most homeless, her mouth was a straight line, and there was something about her eyes…
Calvin's eyes widened in surprise and astonishment.
They were the bright golden yellow of a wild animal, and there was a quiet sincerity about them, as if she was a messenger from some unknown place.