Chapter 12
Impact
Chris's (Jack's) POV
I was reeling from Melody's punch, clutching my nose as it throbbed in pain.
'Man, can she throw a punch,' I thought as I tested for blood.
Luckily, she hadn't burst a blood-vessel with her attack.
"What was that for?!" I shouted in her direction.
"THAT was for jumping off a building, you asshole!" She retaliated, her fur bristling. "You could've died!"
"Yeah, well, I didn't," I replied as I massaged my snout.
She crossed her arms and pouted.
"Jackson at least had some common sense," I heard her mumble.
The words tugged at me for some reason, like it hurt to hear them. Before I could say anything else I was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.
Melody and I turned to find two ZPD officers, a rhino and a tiger, had pushed through the crowd and were staring at us with accusing glares.
"Uh, mornin' Officers…" I greeted with a nervous smile.
It was hard to forget that they were the same officers that had put me in jail a few days ago. But before either of them could respond, a deer pushed past them, followed by a wolf with a video camera on his shoulder.
"Excuse me, sir. I'm Cassidy Deerbrooke from ZNN. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions?" The reporter quickly asked.
I looked towards Melody for a moment; she looked to be as surprised as me.
"Um, sure. Why not?" I stumbled with my reply.
"Can you tell us who you are?" She started.
"I'm Jack Frost," I replied. "And this lovely vixen is my friend Melody Vulpez."
I turned to Melody's group behind us and started introducing them as well.
"Over here we have Sarah Caramas, Aubrey Lakashew, Connor Cratel, Garret Grizolli, and Seth Ceroston," I said as I pointed each of them out. "These six mammals are all students of the Savannah Central Institute of Technology and Engineering."
"Wow, quite a group you've got here," the doe commented. "Now, what exactly are you all doing here?"
"Oh, well we just completed our first test on these boots that I'm wearing," I said more easily, pointing at the footwear.
"But we heard an explosion. What does that have to do with boots?" She inquired.
"Everything, actually," I casually replied. "What you heard was the impact shockwave of the boots contacting the sidewalk."
"I'm sorry?"
"These boots are experimental shock absorbers, which we've dubbed Long-Fall Boots. As the name implies, they're meant to take the impact of a…" I tried searching for some less cliché words, but couldn't find any. "Long fall."
The crowd around us started giving small laughs, I think they mistook my hesitation for dramatic flair.
"And how high of a fall are we talking about, Mr. Frost?" The reporter pressed.
"Ummm…"
I looked up towards the top of the tower I had just jumped off of, if I had to guess maybe it was somewhere around two-thousand feet tall.
"About the height of this building," I coolly replied.
"Is this an estimate?"
"Oh no, I just jumped it."
The doe smiled.
"Surely, you must be joking, sir."
"I'm serious, she even saw me jump off," I told her, pointing at Melody. "If you want, I can do another demonstration."
"OH NO, YOU DON'T!" Melody hastily shouted as she got between me and the reporter. "I'm sorry, but that's enough for your interview."
"Mel, it's fine. We know it works. I can do another jump," I tried persuading her.
She leaned in close to my face with an authoritative finger.
"You. Are not. Jumping. Again."
I nodded in comprehension before she walked past me. Almost immediately, I felt a tug in my lower back before feeling my balance fall backwards.
"Hey!" I shouted as I stepped backwards to try to stay upright.
I look behind me revealed Melody pulling me by the tail out of the crowd and away from the news cast.
She practically dragged me for a full two blocks of embarrassment before she let go. I stroked my sore tail as she turned to scowl at me.
"Jumping?! Again?!" She shouted. "What were you thinking?!"
Honestly, I don't know why I offered to do that. It just seemed appropriate. Maybe to make myself feel awesome, or something?
"Look, I'm sorry," I told her. "If it makes you feel any better, I promise I won't be jumping off any more buildings."
She turned away with a huff.
"You better keep that promise," I heard her say as she flashed a smile back.
A smile that quickly faded when she saw me playing with my tail.
"What?" I innocently asked as I hugged my fluffy appendage, I had only just noticed how soft it was.
She facepalmed at the sight.
"Let's just get back to my place," The vixen groaned.
The Universal Conversation
[?]
- Hello? Testing. One, two. Come on… Please be working. *Taps microphone* Okay good, not a waste of money then. Especially after I came this far.
Some Time Later
[?]
- Hello Listeners! No wait… Hello Readers, welcome to our first inter-dimensional talk show, The Universal Conversation!
[?]
- Hey! What are you doing here? No, how did you get here? No, WHO are you?
[Electro]
- I'm your host, Electro, and YOU are the first guest on this talk show. Everyone, please, a round of applause for our favourite inter-dimensional traveler. Christopher Anthony!
[Chris]
- Look, I don't know how you know who I am, but I want you out of here. And who the hell are you talking to?
[Electro]
- Mr. Anthony, how do you feel being in an entirely new world?
[Chris]
- *Sighs* You know what? Fine. I'll play your game. It's weird, alright. Just plain weird. I miss my family and friends, but it's almost like everyone here is them just as much as they aren't. And I don't even know half of what's going on!
[Electro]
- I see… *Takes a sip from a mug*
[Chris]
- Is that coffee?
[Electro]
- Yup. I helped myself to a cup while I was setting up.
*Front door opens*
[?]
- Hey Chris, I'm back. I got some takeout if your hun- Okay, who's the bird-brain?
[Electro]
- Oh! Miss Vulpez! *Laughs nervously* I didn't expect you to be here so soon.
[Melody]
- How do you- Nope. I'm not even going there. Get out.
[Electro]
- Okay, let's just calm down and- *Gets stuffed into a bag* Hey! We can talk about this!
*Front door slams shut*
[Electro]
- *Gets out of the bag and dusts self off* Now that's just rude. Stuffed in a bag and thrown in the hallway. Well I guess that's all for today. This is Electro, see you next time.
