Chapter 21

Hexxus opened his eyes and saw that dawn had finally come.

Even through the tiny cracks in the boarded up windows, the pale grey light filtered in. He hadn't slept well. He inhaled deeply and stretched his fatigued limbs. He instantly recalled the moment in the small room with Ashley, and he lay there for some time, lost in thought.
He recognized the unexpected, unwelcome sensation of human pleasure. It disturbed him.

The wind was still going strong, but had lessened considerably since last night. He could hear it lashing through the trees at intervals, and the drain pipes had turned into little waterfalls.

At first, he felt uncertain about seeing her, but he shook the notion out of his thoughts. 'This cursed human guise is playing tricks on you,' he told himself, already relieved at the pep talk he was giving himself. 'You are not one of them. No amount of time in this body can change that!'

He got out of bed and coaxed his human body awake. He wondered if he would ever get used to sleep.

He left the bedroom and found that Stephanie and Ashley were the only other two awake. He never thought he would feel so grateful to have Stephanie's presence in the room. He wasn't concerned about how Ashley felt about the gesture she'd displayed last night - if she felt anything at all. She herself had confided in him, admitting that she enjoyed talking to him specifically because no attraction could exist between them.

And he wasn't concerned about the unsettling feeling he'd experienced, he told himself. It had taken him off guard. Yes it was a friendly touch she'd given him, and he was grateful that she wasn't opposed to him the way Zak often was. What he felt when she'd placed her hand on his, though he couldn't give a name to it, was just something he was going to have to get used to. There were still many things about being human that he didn't understand; this was only another phenomenon.

Inwardly, he laughed at himself. 'You're a fool to have let that startle, you, Hexxus! Speak to the girl now; you'll see that your fretting was for nothing.'
He delivered an amiable "good morning" to the two women.

Stephanie was already dressed and had a cup of coffee in her hands. "Good morning to you, sunshine! How'd you sleep through the storm?"

"I hardly did," he replied. He looked at Ashley, who was gazing out the window at the still-swaying trees, and forced himself to greet her. "How did you find the laundry room?" He'd meant it as a bland joke, not quite sure what else to say.

She glanced at him. "I didn't sleep any too well, either. But it felt safer in there than it did out here. That was the craziest storm I've ever been through."

"You slept in the laundry room, Ash?" Stephanie came up beside them.

"Dozed, more like. I actually don't think I got even a wink of sleep."

Stephanie blew a sigh. "I took advantage of one of them sleeping pills we brought on the plane. Did wonders for me, I think I slept through the worst of it."

"Oh, you did!" She looked at her mom and gave a knowing smile. "You should have heard the wind, it sounded like the house was gonna cave in!"

"No thank you. I'm glad I wasn't awake for it!"

Ashley said to Hexxus, "I made some breakfast if you like, it's on the counter."

"Thank you, my dear," he said, tiredly, and headed into the kitchen.

"You know, it's a good thing we didn't lose our power for long," Stephanie commented. "To hear tell, the storm could'a been a lot worse than it was."

"Can you imagine?" Ashley left the window. "I got some interesting shots for my collection, too."

Zak eventually woke up and joined them all at the table. They sat around for some time, talking about the hurricane and the damage that had been done, and where the storm was headed now.

The conversation was lost on Hexxus, for the most part, because his thoughts had been drifting.
It wasn't like him to lose focus, but so much had changed ever since their last excursion to Ferngully. With every ounce of willpower he possessed, he held onto the hope that there was still an inkling of a chance that the fairies could try another attempt at changing him back. That much, at least, he had not lost sight of.
What did Zak say...that their leader, Crysta, claimed it would be at least a year before they could try again? That was long...too long. He didn't know how he'd survive an entire year in this mortal body...

'Be patient,' he told himself, thoughtfully folding his hands on the table. 'The human has already agreed to let me use his automobile. Perhaps it won't be nearly as bad as it seems...There's much that can be accomplished in a year...'

"Aren't we serious this morning!"

He turned his attention toward Stephanie, who'd been staring at him from out of wide, eager eyes. She was smiling. "What's on your mind, honey?"

He gave the slightest smile, and straightened. "Not much, madame. I'm simply wondering if this horrendous weather will affect my, uh...job interview."

"Oh that's right," she exclaimed, giving her children a look. "You did mention somethin' about that, didn't you? Or maybe Ash did. What's the interview for? Are you leaving your current position?"

"Very much so." He leaned forward. "As a matter of fact, I've been thinking about heading into the field of mechanics."

"Well how wonderful is that? Both my kids told me you have a real knack for cars, gadgets and whatnot."

"Yes, I find I'm much more taken with that field than my current one." He gave a confident smile.

Zak took a sip of coffee, making sure to store the details Hexxus was delivering into his memory. In a way, he was grateful that his sister had been let in on the truth. It took a lot of the burden of deception off, and anyway she would help him in protecting Hexxus's true identity.

"I wish you the best." She reached her arm over and patted his hand, as she seemed fond of doing. Then she sighed and leaned back. "Well, we missed our flight outta here, that much is certain. I'll have to call the airlines tomorrow and see when we can get the next one out."

Zak was a little disappointed that they'd have to go. Though their arrival had been stressful at first, he'd gotten used to the routine of having both them and Hexxus around, and he'd miss the lively company. Even his sister had exhibited more life than she had in years. More than once he wondered at this, but then the answer was obvious enough: Hexxus had provided a very unique distraction, for all of them.
And having to venture out into an Australian rainforest in the dead of night certainly helped shake her out of her solitude. Without a doubt (and aside from the scare they gave their mom), it turned out to be a better visit than he thought.

"I wish you guys didn't have to go," he said. "But I'm real glad you came."

Stephanie smiled. "We'll be back, don't you worry about that. Maybe next time we'll drag your father here."

"Ha! Don't worry, I'll be happy enough with you and Ash." He took their plates into the kitchen.

Hexxus would never have admitted it, even to himself, but he felt he would almost miss the presence of the two humans as well. Even Stephanie, though her exuberance sometimes got on his nerves, was more often a part of the fun than separate from it. Their dynamics had broken up a very drab existence, and his seemingly mortal life was more interesting with them in it.

Against his better judgment, he spoke, "Do be sure to come visit us again, my dear ladies. Whether you find me still here or in a domicile of my own, you shall be welcomed."

Zak glanced at him from the kitchen. 'This guy is way too good at laying on the charm...'

Stephanie all but fell apart. "Oh honey, now don't go talking like that, you're just gonna make it harder to leave!"

Ashley hid a smile behind clasped hands. "We'll be back at any rate...We try to visit Zak at least once every two years."

"Yes, it's too bad flights and boarding are so expensive. Sure is worth it, though."

"You know," Zak said as he sat back down, "maybe I ought'a plan some kinda addition to the house. That way when you guys visit, you can just stay here."

"Oh, that'd be a lot of time and money, honey!" Stephanie shook her head doubtfully.

"So? Most things worth having take time and money. I could save up for it, anyway."

"You should save up for better storm shutters," Ashley couldn't help put in.

"I know, I know, but hey, the plywood saw us through, didn't it?"

"For now. And anyway you had a great student at hand." She smiled briefly at Hexxus.

The day passed by slowly and uneventfully.
The tail end of the storm gradually receded, and Zak had gone out of the house several times to survey the damage. Hexxus and Ashley accompanied him, much to Stephanie's chagrin.

"You all watch out for wires and falling trees!"

"We won't go far!" Zak called before shutting the door.

The damage wasn't nearly as catastrophic as the wind had made them believe. The worst they saw were two young, fallen trees and some roof shingles in the street.

Ashley was stunned. "All that noise, and this is all it did?"

"The maximum sustained was likely around ninety-six kilometers," Hexxus observed, recalling what he'd learned from skimming the Internet.

"And the gusts could have been higher," Zak observed. "Let's head home, I don't wanna go any further."

The next day, they found the streets already cleared of what little debris had been scattered across it.

One of the first things Stephanie did was to call the airport and reschedule their flight back to the States.

"Good news, Ash - we can fly out as soon as Thursday!"

Stephanie was oblivious to the sober mood that had fallen over the household. It appeared that no one was looking forward to their departure but her.
Hexxus, naturally, kept his own feelings on the matter to himself. He'd been rather distracted with suppositions regarding all the things he might be able to do in a year's worth of time.

He kept a respectful distance from Ashley, and was mildly disappointed when she took the hint and allowed him his space. Truly, if he hadn't known any better, he could have almost said she was avoiding him. Why she was avoiding him was a question that lingered in his thoughts too frequently, and he puzzled over it.

The two women had gone back to the hotel two days after the storm, thus emptying Zak's house of the lively chatter that had permeated it for days.

A bittersweet feeling enveloped the young man as he leaned on the door frame, shaking his head. Being sorry to see his mother and sister leave the house was the last thing he thought would happen, upon their arrival. The overcast sky perfectly matched his mood, and he finally turned to head back to his laptop. His heart wasn't in his work right now, he felt so listless.

By the time Thursday came around, Stephanie and Ashley had shown up after breakfast so that Zak could drive them to the airport.

Stephanie hugged her son, clinging to him as if he were a life raft. "You be good and hold fast to your work, Zak!"

"Mom, don't forget we'll be saying bye at the airport, too..." He couldn't help but laugh at his mom's antics.

"I know, but I can never get enough hugs outta you." She then swept down upon Hexxus, who stood leaning against the wall by the living room. "My dear young man, it was a pleasure having met you!" She shook his hand vigorously, then stopped and pointed at him. "Don't let the turkeys get ya down." She winked.

Ashley stepped up and gave him a humored, knowing smile. "Well...Dante. Take care of yourself, ok? And..." she took his hand and placed a small piece of paper in it, "my email, in case you wanna talk, or vent. Zak and I are here for you, as much as we can be. Please don't forget that we care, alright?" Her smile widened.

He kept his expression stoic, but nodded. "Thank you, my dear. I won't soon forget your kindness."

She hesitated. "I don't usually do this, but..." With a light shrug, she wrapped her arms around him in a gentle embrace.

Still he kept his cool, but it caused a stir of emotions on the inside. And before he could recover his wits and respond, she'd let go.

He opened his mouth to speak, but words failed him. She waved her hand in farewell and went to stand by the door.

Stephanie waved as well. "Take care now, Dante! I wish you all the best at your new job if you get it!"

He mimicked the wave, and with that, Zak escorted them out of the house. The door banged shut behind him, heralding a heavy silence. He walked over and let himself fall into the couch, listening as the truck rumbled to life and slowly eased down the short driveway. In a few seconds, it disappeared entirely, and the strange individual was left alone with his thoughts.

The pendulum clock was heard for the first time in many days. The air conditioner started up with a soft whooshing sound, breaking up the hushed atmosphere.

Hexxus, trapped as he was, sat there and for a long while could think of nothing else but the absence of his unorthodox...friends. In his memory, he went over the first time he'd met Stephanie and Ashley. He noted, with some interest, that Zak's attitude toward him had changed a little over the course of their visit - for the better, really. He re-lived the long drive to the hotel by the national park, and the early morning drive to the outskirts of Ferngully.

His heart rate quickened at the memory, the electrifying feeling of the spell being attempted upon his person...the shock when he awoke and found himself still mortal...

He thought, too, of the driving lessons that Ashley had given him. Her unassuming yet shrewd personality, the ease with which she spoke to him, and him to her (until more recently.) Many times, he'd replayed the small incident in the laundry room the night of the hurricane...He'd reached out almost on impulse, and she delivered the same small gesture to him.

The sensations that rose up in him were new, strangely subtle and at the same time, overwhelming. They made him regret not having said many things, and it was only now that they were gone - that she was gone - that he seemed to think of them.

Most of all, he kept thinking of the embrace she'd given him and regretted that he didn't return the gesture. She'd taken him by surprise.

He looked down at her email written on the small piece of paper in his hand. His mouth curved ever so slightly in a smile. The delightful human wished to communicate with him? Be it so. He would ask Zak to set him up with such a thing for his very own, and then he would be able to talk with her.

Feeling suddenly encouraged, he got up from the couch and headed outdoors. He'd had his fill of staying in the gloomy house and thought a trip to Gilbert's would be a refreshing discourse from the day.

He inhaled the fresh, rain-washed air into his lungs. His mood lifted with the thought of being able to correspond with Ashley.

A/N: I'll be ending the story here, and may write a sequel getting into more detail on Hexxus's emotional journey as a human. Been a real tough challenge fleshing this guy out, he didn't get a lot of screen time in the movie, after all...